THYROIDECTOMY AND THE METABOLISM 53 



Cat no. 3 gave birth ten days prematurely to stillborn Effects of 



kittens thyroidec- 



klttens * tomy during 



Turning to the averages (table V) we see that so pregnancy, 

 long as the cats remained pregnant the calcium excretion 

 remained constant, but that after parturition it was 

 increased to treble the quantity. The excretion of 

 phosphates, also, after the birth of kittens showed a 

 remarkable increase. There was no disturbance of the 

 ammonia-coefficient. 



It does not appear probable, therefore, that the Thyroid not 

 thyroid is in any way specifically connected with the ^^ted 7 

 production of eclampsia, as suggested by Nicholson 1 and with 

 others. It is true that two of our cats (nos. 4 and 5), ec 

 which are not included in the series and were in the first 

 half of pregnancy, died with convulsions in a few days, but 

 the manner of death was similar in every respect to that 

 seen in non-pregnant animals in the same circumstances. 



The evidence of these experiments is in favour of The secretion 

 the possibility that in the latter half of pregnancy the thyrtid'may 



secretion of the foetal thyroid may be conveyed to the t* conveyed 



to the mother, 

 mother. 



EFFECTS OF THYROIDECTOMY ON THE OVARIES AND 



UTERUS 



The normal ovary of the cat, with which animal we 

 are concerned in these particular experiments, shows 

 certain affinities for eosin in some of its elements. The 

 zona pellucida, the liquor folliculi, the interstitial cells 

 and the cells of the corpora lute a all stain faintly with 

 eosin. After thyroidectomy all these elements show an 

 increased avidity for this stain (fig. 24). This is especially 

 true of the zona pellucida and the liquor folliculi, and 

 it appears to be a matter of some importance. 



It seems that removal of the thyroid calls for a Effects of 

 response from the ovary, just as oophorectomy did from Jom^oiTt 

 the thyroid. The nature of this response, if these ovaries. 



1 Nicholson, H. O., Scot. Med Surg. Journ., 1901, vol. viii, p. 503. 



