26 



Testes : The testes seldom presented gross alterations of struc- 

 ture except for abscess formation, which, according to Williams, 

 occurs more frequently in the bull than in any of the other 

 domesticated animals. He also states that arrest in development by 

 which the organs remain soft, flaccid, and somewhat smaller than 

 normal is not uncommon. One very interesting specimen, which 

 typifies abscess formation, came from a bull with a history reveal- 

 ing that one testis had become much enlarged, hot, and painful. 

 These sj^mptoms developed very rapidly. Anorexia was well 

 marked. Local applications were used for several weeks, but 

 at the end of two months the condition was so little improved that 

 unilateral castration Avas performed. The general condition of the 

 animal soon improved, but after a year of service he was so uncer- 

 tain compared to what he had been, that he was sent to the 

 butcher. It was impossible to obtain the other testicle for study, 

 though it undoubtedly was abnormal. The testicle removed was 

 considerably enlarged, measuring twenty by ten and one-half centi- 

 meters. The tunica albuginea presented a thickness of six milli- 

 meters, and was made up of firm sclerotic tissue. The epididy- 

 mis was not recognizable in the mass. Testicular tissue was almost 

 entirely gone. The only remains, of what appeared to have been 

 I)arenchyma, was an elongated irregular area at one side of the 

 organ. This tissue consisted of a whitish opalescent material, 

 speckled with varying sized abscesses. This organ is pictured in 

 Fig. 3. The remainder of the organ consisted of a thick yellowish 

 caseous mass. Strepiococcns viridans was recovered from the 

 outer portion of the organ, and guinea pig inoculations failed to 

 demonstrate Bact. ahortum. 



^Microscopically, changes are quite common and varied in char- 

 acter. In the seminiferous tubules, the changes range from a 

 slight desquamation of the germinal epithelium to atrophy and 

 complete degeneration of the entire tubule, as was the case in the 

 left testis of Bull 1. In the mild cases, spermatogenesis occurs 

 apparently in a normal manner up to the spermatid stage, at 

 wliich point many of the cells degenerate and slough off. These 

 appear in the seminal fluid, associated with the few sperms that 

 reach maturity. This sloughing and degeneration may be localized 

 in a few of the tubules, or it may be widespread over the entire 

 organ. Likewise, the changes may involve not only the more 

 mature cells, but they may be so .severe as to cause almost total 

 degeneration and desquamation of the seminal epithelium, as in 

 Fig. 15. These defects in spermatogenesis are of course evidenced 

 in the semen l)y the presence of immature, or abnormal types of 

 sperms. With cessation of spermatogenesis or degeneration of the 

 epithelium of the entire gland, no sperms are formed. Not infre- 

 (inently one finds numerous tubules, or even the entire testis in 

 which the germinal epithelium is intact, ])ut there is little or no 

 evidence of mitosis, as in some tubules of Bull 6. The cells are 

 several layers deep as in the normal condition, but they are not 

 dividing. This condition is shown in Fig. 13. 



