244 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION 



That the vesicuhi* may undergo periodic enlargement in animals 

 which have a rutting season is an unquestionable fact. In the 

 hedgehog the increase in size is enormous. In the winter they are 

 hidden by the bladder and their weight may be only '1 gram. In 

 August the weight of the organs, together with their contained 

 secretion, was found to be 6 grams, and they occupied a consider- 

 able space in the body cavity. In April they were about one-fifth 

 their full size. In May they had reached their full size which 

 they retained until September or October, when they rapidly 

 diminished. 



As evidence that the vesicuLe seminales are undoubtedly secretory 

 glands, Lode 1 showed that in young animals, in which one of the 

 testes had been removed, the corresponding vesicula continued to 

 grow, and became filled with its characteristic fluid. It was evident, 

 therefore, that the fluid must have been secreted in the vesicula in 

 question, since it could not have been derived from the testis of the 

 other side. (The effects of complete castration on the growth and 

 activity of the vesiculse seminales are briefly referred to below.) 

 Stilling - and Akutsu 3 state that the epithelial cells of the vesiculte 

 seminales change their character according to whether they are in 

 a state of rest or activity. In the former condition they are larger 

 and contain more plasma substance. Kolster 4 has described des- 

 quamation of epithelial cells in the selninal vesicles of the elk 

 (Cervits alces). 



The secretion is formed apparently in considerable quantity. 

 Its character and composition vary somewhat in different Mammals. 

 In man it is gelatinous, and consists chiefly of globulins. 5 It has 

 been investigated in Rodents by Sobotta, 6 Rauther, 7 and others, 8 

 who describe it as a white or yellowish-white gelatinous fluid, which 

 becomes almost solid after ejaculation. . This capacity to clot is 



1 Lode, " Experimentelle Beitrage zur Physiologic der Samenblasen," 

 Sitziniysber. d. kais. Acad. d. Wisseitschaft in Wien, vol. civ., 1895. 



2 Stilling, " Beobachtungen iiber die Functionen der Prostata und iiber 

 die Entstehungen prostatischer Concremente," Yin-how's Archiv, vol. xcviii., 

 1884. 



3 Akutsu, " Mikroscopische Untersuehung der Secretions'vorgange in den 

 Samenblasen," Pfluge^s Archie, vol. xcvi., 1903. Further references are given 

 in this paper. 



4 Kolster, " Ueber einen eigenartigen Prozess in den Samenblasen von 

 Cermis alces," Arch.f. Mikr. Anat., vol. lx.. 1902. 



5 Fiirbringer, " Die Storungen des Geschlechtsf unktion des Menschen," 

 Nothnagel's Pathologic und Therapie, vol. xix., 1895. 



6 Sobotta, "Die Befruchtung und Furchung des Eies der Maus," An-h. f. 

 Mikr. Anat., vol. xlv., 1895. 



' Rauther, " Ueber den Genitalapparat einiger Nager und Insektivoren, 

 etc.," Jenaische Zcitsch. f. Xaturunssenschaft, vol. xxxvii., 1903. 



8 De Bonis, " Sui Fenomenidi Secrezione nelle Cellule ghiandolari delle 

 Vescicule Seminale e delle Ghiandole di Cowper," Arch. Ital. di Anat. e di 

 Embryo!., vol. vii., 1908. Abstract in Arch. Ital. de BioL, vol. lii., 1909, 



