CHAPTER II. 

 THE GENITAL GLANDS. 



Functions of the ovary — Functions of the testis — Control of the 

 genital glands by internal secretions — The secretion of milk — 

 The ovum — Chemical diagnosis of pregnane^'. 



STUDENTS of physiology do not usually devote 

 as much attention to the functions of the 

 reproductive apparatus as the clinical importance of 

 the subject demands, and writers of text-books have 

 been in the habit of relegating it to a very brief 

 chapter at the end of the book. 



FUNCTIONS OF THE OVARY. 



The functions of the ovary may be classed under 

 three headings : the production of ova, the control 

 of menstruation, and the internal secretion. The 

 corpus luteum has other functions, to be considered 

 separately. 



The ovary shows on microscopical examination 

 ripe and unripe ova, the former enclosed in the 

 Graafian follicles, corpora lutea of varying age, and 

 certain glandular interstitial cells which probably 

 furnish the internal secretions, and are supposed to 

 be the starting point of multilocular cystic disease of 

 the ovary. We shall consider menstruation first. 



Menstruation. — We shall not discuss the histology 

 of this process, except to say that the mucous mem- 



