156 EMIL NOVAK 



cardia. Especially interesting is Goiialons' observation on the effect of 

 ovarian and pregnant corpus luteum on the uterine muscles. He finds that 

 both produce a tonic contraction with an increase of the rhythmic con- 

 tractions. 



These results are, in the main, similar to those obtained by Barry. 

 They differ, however, from those of Fuchs, Stickel, and Bell and Hick. 

 The first named author describes a depressant action. Stickel observed 

 no effect at all from the intravenous injection of ovarian extract, while 

 Bell and Hick saw no results from ovarian extracts in the virgin uterus, 

 but a stimulation in the case of the pregnant organ. Stimulation of the 

 uterus was also observed by Ott and Scott, and also by Itagaki. 



In a recent series of 110 experiments on the effect of extracts of the 

 ovary and corpus luteum on the excised uteri of the rat, guinea-pig, pig, 

 dog and cat, and also a number of experiments on the Fallopian tubes of 

 the pig, Matsumoto and Macht found that "in all cases both ovarian and 

 corpus luteum extracts produced a powerful stimulation of the contrac- 

 tions and an increase in the tonus of the uteri. It was also found 

 that in all cases the excised uterus preparations reacted more quickly and 

 to smaller doses of corpus luteum extracts than to extracts of the ovarian 

 substance." The same observation was also made on the musculature of 

 the Fallopian tube. The authors emphasize, however, that these effects 

 are not to be looked upon as specific, for stimulation of the uterus was 

 produced by practically every gland or organ with which they ex- 

 perimented. 



Matsumoto and Macht found that the freshly excised vas deferens of 

 the rat was the preparation most sensitive for testing the corpus luteum. 

 The degree of contraction was found to vary directly with the doses ad- 

 ministered. This reaction seems to be specific for the corpus luteum, not 

 being evoked by ovarian substance. The authors therefore suggest that 

 the vas deferens test may be considered useful as a means of assaying- 

 corpus luteum preparations. 



Gofialons, from observations upon nursing women, believes that the 

 administration of the corpus luteum of the pregnant cow exerts a pro- 

 nounced galactogogne effect, These observations, he maintains, are 

 demonstrable also by experiments which he reports upon lactating cats. 

 Ott and Scott also found that hypodermic injections of corpus luteum 

 caused the mammary glands of rabbits to hypertrophy to twice the normal 

 size, with the appearance of milk. 



Finally, reference may be made to the effect of ovarian and corpus 

 hiteum extracts on the pupil of the eye, as determined by Macht and 

 Matsumoto. The ovarian extract was found to produce little or no effect, 

 hut the corpus luteum extract, in the form of either the fresh gland or the 

 desiccated product, produces dilatation of the pupil in from 30 to 60 

 minutes, according to the strength of the preparation used. 



