214 CHARLES R. STOCKARD AND GEORGE N. PAPANICOLAOU 



cial control for the influence of alcohol treatment on the male 

 germ cells. In mating two males to a single female any defective 

 condition that might arise among the offspring from one of the 

 males, as compared with those from the other, could not be 

 attributed to differences in developmental environment or in the 

 qualities of the ova, as might possibly be the case where different 

 females are used. 



Cole and Bachhuber ('14) have employed the same method in 

 a study of the effects of lead on the germ cells of the male rabbit 

 and fowl. Their conclusion in regard to the rabbit is ''that the 

 offspring produced by male rabbits which have been poisoned 

 by the ingestion of lead acetate into the alimentary tract have a 

 lower vitality and are distinctly smaller in average size than 

 normal offspring of unpoisoned males." This conclusion is in 

 exact accord with the conditions shown by our Fi generation of 

 guinea-pigs sired by alcoholized fathers. Cole and Bachhuber 

 have not reported on the transmission of the effects to later 

 generations. 



Their results with fowls ''are interpreted as indicating that 

 in fowls also poisoning of the male parent with lead results in 

 offspring of a distinctly lower average vitality." This again 

 accords with the results on the offspring when male guinea-pigs 

 are treated with alcohol. 



A later more extensive report concerning the influence of lead 

 as a substance producing blastophthoric effects is given by Weller 

 ('15). This investigator has treated both male and female 

 guinea-pigs with commercial white lead. The lead is adminis- 

 tered by mouth in gelatin capsules, the same method as was em- 

 ployed by Cole and Bachhuber ('14). The effects from the 

 lead poisoning on the guinea-pigs are very similar to those ob- 

 tained by treating the rabbits and fowls. Weller has been 

 careful not to overdose the animals and his precautions would 

 make it seem probable that any effect from the treatment which 

 might be shown by the offspring was actually due to the lead 

 poisoning and not to impaired nutrition or other indirect causes. 



His conclusions are based on a total of ninety-three matings 

 yielding 170 offspring. There were thirty-two control matings 



