Abnormal Development of Toad Ova 1 3 



Normal or slightly diseased tissues may be rendered carcino- 

 matous or sarcomatous. Carcinomata have resulted from the 

 action of the Roentgen rays on the skin; and sarcomata have arisen 

 apparently from the action of the X-rays on the lymphatic glands.®* 



It is well known that sterility can be brought about in man 

 and other mammals by sufficient exposure of the testicles to the 

 Roentgen or radium rays. Several operators have thus been ren- 

 dered sterile. Of those who have studied the action of the rays 

 on spermatogenesis mention may be made of Albers-Schonberg,®' 

 Frieben,®® Scholtz," Sedlin^ and Philipp.®' The exposure to the 

 rays causes destruction of the spermatogonia and brings about 

 aspermia. 



Exposure of the ovaries to the rays causes similar disturbances. 

 According to Halberstaeder™ the ovaries are more susceptible to 

 the rays than are the skin and testicles. 



In reviewing the literature on the effects of the Roentgen and 

 radium rays on living organisms it becomes evident that both 

 forms of irradiation have essentially similar, if not identical, phys- 

 iological action. The Roentgen rays lend themselves the more 

 readily to exposures powerful in volume and intensity but limited 

 in time, the radium rays are as a rule much less voluminous but 

 can more readily be applied over considerable intervals of time. 

 The difference in the phenomena observed after exposure to the 

 two sources of radiant energy may perhaps be ascribed mainly to 

 this, although it is probable that the less penetrating rays of 

 radium modify the effects produced by the r-rays. The latter 

 are supposed to be identical with the more penetrating of the Roent- 

 gen rays. Schaper" found the frog larvae exposed to radium ema- 

 nations apparently adversely affected, yet Levy" was unable to find 



"^Warthin: Op. cit. 



'^'Mbers-Schoenberg; Miinchener med. Wochenschrift, 1903. 



'^Frieben: Miinchener med. Wochenschrift, 1903. 



^'Scholtz: Deutsche med. Wochenschrift, 1904. 



'^Sedlin: Fortschr. a. d. Gebiete d. Roentgenbestr., vii, 1904. 



"'Philipp; Fortschr. a. d. Gebiete d. Roentgenbestr., viii, 1905. 



'"Halberstaeder: Berliner klin. Wochenschrift, 1905. 



"Schaper: Anat. Anzeiger, xxv, p. 278, 1904. 



'^Levy; Archiv fiir Entwicklungsmechanik, xxi, p. 142, 1906. 



