76 maine agricultural experiment station. i915. 



Discussion. 



The case descrJbed in the preceding ipages presents for con- 

 sideration centain definite and ciear-cut results bearing on the 

 problem oif secondary sex characters. These are : 



1. This cow had been a perfectly norimial female and had 

 perfo^rmed all the reprodiictive fuincltions, both primary and 

 seoondairy, of that sex. 



2. It later assumed certain of the secondary characters of 

 the male, both in respect of structure and behavior, with per- 

 fect definitenesis, anid, so far as the characters ooincerned go, 

 cornipleteness. This change wias, for examipilie, at least as com- 

 plete and definite as any of those described: by Steinach^^ fol- 

 lo^wing castration and tra,nS(plantatioin of gonads. 



3. The gonads of this animal, examined' subsequent to 

 the change in seicondary characters, were exactly like those 

 of a normal cow, save in the one respect that the follicles were 

 not breaking and discharging ova, but were forming fo'llicular 

 cysits or becoming atretic, and because of this nO' corpora lutea 

 were formed. 



a. The initersitittial secreting mechanism o!f these ovaries 

 was aibsoluitely normal, both in respect of 'number of cells, and 

 the cytological characteristics oi the individual cells. 



b. The germinal mechanism was perfectly normal up to the 

 point where ovulation should occur. Then iit failed to separate 

 the ova from the ovary. 



c. The outstanding, and sio far as we can determine the 

 only signifiicant, anatomical anid physiological difference be- 

 tween the gonads olf this abnormal cow and those of a normal 

 one, consiiSts in the fact that the former lacked any lutear 

 tissue. 



From the above facts it appears clear at once that in this 

 case the change in the secondary sex characters cannot with 

 any degree of piausibility be alttributed to any activity (or 

 failure of activity) of the inlterstitial cells. On the other hand, 

 the suggestion is evident that the change is associated with 



^^Steinach, E. Willkiirlich Umwandlung von Saiigetiermannchen in 

 Tiere mit ausgepragt weiblichen Geschlechtscharakteren und weiblicher 

 Psyche. Pfliiger's Arch., Bd. 144, pp. 71-108, 1912. 



