122 INTERNAL SECRETIONS OF THE OVARY 



complete reproductive cycle. In addition, the pre-pubertal 

 development of the accessory organs is usually ascribed to the 

 action of the same hormone. This view supposes that the corpus 

 luteum elaborates the cestrus-producing hormone, at least in the 

 early stages of its life, and that the placenta is also an actual site 

 of origin. The germ 'gestational gland' has been coined by 

 Frank and Gustavson (229) to cover the action of Graafian 

 follicle, corpus luteum, and placenta in successively elaborating 

 the 'female sex hormone.' Allen also supposes that oestrin 

 performs all the ovarian functions. ' The continuous availability 

 of this material from the placenta, present in amounts increasing 

 with placental growth with the advance of gestation, is the most 

 logical explanation of the growth of the uterus and mammary 

 glands, and the absence of menstruation during pregnancy ' 

 (12). Allen and his co-workers (24), however, failed to obtain 

 oestrin from the corpora lutea, except in the human, and his 

 view therefore implies that the corpus luteum performs no 

 endocrine action whatever (except a temporary one in the 

 human) , and is, in fact , merely a histological ornament . Wadehn 

 (627) also supposes that the changes of pregnancy are due to 

 quantitative variation in oestrin, while Zondek and Aschheim 

 come to much the same conclusion (654). 



The whole problem really depends on whether the oestrus- 

 producing hormone is responsible for the changes in the post- 

 oestrous phase of the cycle, or whether these changes are under 

 the control of the corpus luteum. The view that oestrin controls 

 the post-ovulation changes is based largely on two sets of facts: 

 (a) that the hormone causes hypertrophy of the accessory organs, 

 including the mammary glands, and (b) that the hormone is 

 present in very large amounts during pregnancy. It has yet to 

 be definitely shown, however, that the hypertrophy which can be 

 produced by oestrin is greater than that occurring during oestrus, 

 and so far we have no evidence as to the significance of the 

 abundance of the hormone during pregnancy. 



Animals such as the rabbit and the ferret, which stay on 

 oestrus indefinitely in the absence of copulation, provide strong 

 evidence that the action of the oestrus-producing hormone 

 relates to oestrus only. During the persistent oestrus in these 

 animals the accessory organs will remain in a static condition for 



