THE RHYTHMS OF SEX 159 



The Placental Gland 



The placenta, an organ and gland of internal secretion newly 

 formed in the uterus, when the fertilized ovum successfully im- 

 beds itself within it, must be considered in any analysis of the 

 transfigurations of child-bearing. Born with the pregnancy, its 

 life is terminated with the pregnancy, for it is expelled in labor 

 as the after-birth. Its importance and function as a gland of 

 internal secretion has become known only recently. Many still 

 doubt and question the accordance of that rank to it. But feed- 

 ing experiments with it, in various endocrine disturbances in 

 human beings, have proved its right to the title. 



The placenta is created by the fusion of the topmost enlarged 

 cells of the uterine surface and the most advanced cells con- 

 stituting the vanguard of the growing and multiplying ovum. 

 These front line invaders interact with the cells in contact with 

 them to make a new organ which serves as lung, stomach and 

 kidney for the embryo, since it is the medium of exchange of 

 oxygen, foodstuffs and waste products between the blood of the 

 mother and the blood of the embryo. Ultimately it acts, too, as 

 a gland of internal secretion, influencing the internal secretions 

 of the mother, and also those of the embryo. 



Settlement of the fertilized ovum in the womb introduces into 

 the system new secretions, new substances which are partly male 

 in origin, since the ovum contains within it the substance of the 

 male sperm which has penetrated it. This masculine element 

 causes a rearrangement of the balance of power between the en- 

 docrines towards the side of masculinity. They push down 

 the pan of the scale to inhibit the post-pituitary. So menstrua- 

 tion, the menstrual wave which follows the increasing tide of 

 post-pituitary secretion, is postponed. For ten lunar months, not 

 another ovum breaks through the covering of the ovary, and 

 the uterus is left undisturbed. The placental secretion plays a 

 most important role as brake upon the post-pituitary, the most 

 active of the feminizing uterus-disturbing endocrines. Until at 

 last something happens that puts the placenta out of commis- 

 sion in this function of restraint, and the long bottled up post- 

 pituitary secretion explodes the crisis apparent as the process 

 of labor. 



A condition of self-poisoning often occurs in pregnancy, with 

 symptoms orchestrating from mild notes like nausea and vom- 

 iting to the high keys of convulsions and insanities. They rep- 

 resent what happens when an unbalanced endocrine system is 



