The Female Gonads and Their 

 Diseases 



Influence of the Ovary on the Development 

 of the Female Generative Tract 



EMIL NOVAK, M.D. 



BALTIMORE 



Introductory 



Ovarian Influence on General Organism of Woman. The influence 

 of the ovary on the general organism of the woman is undoubtedly different 

 at different ages. Puberty apparently marks the parting of the ways as 

 far as the secondary sex characters of the two sexes are concerned. Up 

 to that time the general physical and psychic characteristics of the girl 

 do not differ very markedly from those of her boy playmate. The female 

 child is likely to be of the same angular outline as the male, and the two 

 mingle with little consciousness of the difference in sex. 



When puberty occurs, however, there is a pronounced physical and 

 psychic transformation. In the girl, the outlines of the figure become 

 fuller and more rounded, owing to a deposit of subcutaneous fat. The 

 breasts become more prominent and there is a growth of hair on the 

 mons veneris, the vulva and in the axillaa. Two important physiological 

 phenomena, menstruation and ovulation, are now inaugurated, both of 

 them due to the awakened activity of the hitherto dormant ovary. In 

 addition to these well recognized functions of the ovary, however, it prob- 

 ably exerts an important influence on the morphological development of 

 the generative tract. 



Influence of Ovary During Fetal Life. To say that. the fetal ovaries 

 possess no function is, of course, unwarranted. There is no evidence, 

 however, of any important influence on the general body growth of the 

 fetus. Indeed, it has not been definitely demonstrated that the fetal 

 ovary is essential or even important to the early development of the 

 generative tract. In all of the reported cases of congenital absence of 

 one ovary (Kossman, Mayer (<f)), the uterus has been normal. Such ob- 

 servations, it is true, can carry but little weight, in view of the fact that 

 the hormone from one ovary, being blood-borne, can, of course, exert its 

 effect on the Mullerian ducts of both sides. 



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