AUTHOR’S ABSTRACT OF THIS PAPER ISSUED 
BY THE BIBLIOGRAPHIC SERVICE, MARCH 27 
THE OESTROUS CYCLE IN THE MOUSE 
EDGAR ALLEN 
Department of Anatomy, Washington University School of Medicine 
TWENTY-FOUR FIGURES 
CONTENTS 
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1. INTRODUCTION AND LITERATURE 
Although the mouse, Mus musculus, has been used for em- 
bryological purposes for nearly a century, no exact knowledge 
of its oestrous cycle is available. One reason for this is that the 
mouse, like other rodents, comes into ‘heat’ and receives the 
male within from six to twenty-four hours after parturition, and 
most investigators have timed their collection of embryological 
material from this ‘heat? moment. Another reason for our lack 
of knowledge .of the oestrous cycle in this form is the fact that 
external signs of ‘heat’ have been relied upon for diagnosis. Con- 
cerning this, Heape states: ‘‘It is difficult to determine the length 
of the prooestrum and oestrus in rodents, since the external 
signs which characterize these conditions are comparatively 
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THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ANATOMY, VOL. 30, No. 3 
