ON THE ACTION OF VARIOUS EXTRACTS OBTAINED FROM 

 THE COW'S OVARIES UPON THE MUSCULAR TISSUE 

 OF THE UTERUS, INTESTINE, AND BLOOD-VESSELS. By 

 M. Itagaki. (From the Laboratory of Physiology, Edinburgh 

 University.) (With twelve figures in the text.) 



{Received for publicalio7i 28th July 1916.) 



I\ connexion with my investigation on the action of corpus luteum 

 extract (1) I had occasion to examine the influence of extracts from 

 different parts of the ovaries upon the plain muscular tissue of the uterus, 

 and incidentally of the intestine and blood-vessels. Since the action of 

 certain of these extracts has not previously been investigated, it may be 

 useful to give the results which I have obtained. The experimental 

 methods were the same as those employed in the investigation of corpus 

 luteum. 



Extract of Hilum Ovarii. 



The part of the ovary adjacent to the hilum was cut out, rinsed with 

 Locke solution or distilled water to free it from adherent fluid, lightly 

 pressed with filter paper to get rid of superfluous water, weighed, 

 minced, mixed with a definite volume of Locke solution, and boiled. After 

 boiling, the extract was filtered and the filtrate made up to the original 

 volume of the fluid by the addition of distilled water. 



Action on Uterus of Rat. 



A typical effect is shown in fig. 1, which shows an arrest of the 

 rhythmic movements with relaxation of tone. In some cases there was 

 only a diminution in the rate of rhythm and height of contraction, the 

 relaxation of tone being absent. Occasionally the inhibition was followed 

 by contractions, which gradually increased in extent (fig. 2). In all my 

 experiments, only one case occurred in which there was an increase of tone 

 from the beginning. In the pregnant uterus (one case) inhibition was 

 also obtained. The strength of the extract used varied from 2 per cent, to 

 10 per cent. 



It is a striking fact that, whilst extract of corpus luteum usually causes 

 a remarkable increase of tone and sometimes of rate of rhythm, extract of 



