GrATENBY — Notes OH the Human Ovary. 75 



Stricht, vvlio insists on two clearly marked peiiods, one of serous secretion, the 

 other of lipoid secretion, gives little or no cytologic evidence for his conclusion. 



Van der Stricht draws up a useful comparison between the activity of the 

 suprarenal cells and those of the corpus luteum. It seems to be clear that 

 the mere presence of " fat "' within the luteal cells does not necessarily herald 

 disintegration of the corpus luteum ; nor is it necessary to believe tliat one 

 should find a special type of cytoplasmic differentiation to coincide with a 

 different type of physiologic fuuetion. 



In 1910 Riquier described the Golgi apparatus of the luteal cells of Boa 

 taurus. In many cells, according to this worker, the Golgi apparatus is 

 circuni-nuclear in situation, and it does not take direct part in the formation 

 of fat. In the regression stages the apparatus shrinks pari passu with the 

 rest of the cell. Eiquier used the Golgi method, which distorts liie apparatus. 



Edgar Allen and Edward Doisy have initiated what may be the forerunner 

 of a great amount of valuable biochemical work on ovarian hormones. From 

 a selected pound of hog ovaries with large Graafian follicles they were able 

 to aspirate through a hypodermic needle at least 100 c.c. of liquor folliculi 

 plus a few follicle cells and an occasional egg. An extract was prepared as 

 follows : fresh liquor folliculi was added to a double volume of 95 per cent, 

 alcohol and allowed to stand until the proteins had coagulated. The coagulum 

 is filtered off, and the filtrate, practically free from protein, contains the active 

 constituent : the alcohol is distilled off, the hormone being thermostable, and 

 the aqueous suspension is extracted with ether. The ether extract is 

 evaporated, the solids are dried in a vacuum desiccator, and the residue is 

 dissolved in a minimal quantity of ether, and a double volume of acetone 

 added : these processes of solution and precipitation are repeated twice. The 

 precipitate (lecithin and kephalin) shows no activity in the test animal, but 

 by boiling out the material gained from the combined evaporated filtrates, 

 with 95 per cent, alcohol, the active substance is obtained free from protein, 

 but contaminated with a little fatty material. The alcohol is now evaporated 

 off, and the minute yield of oily residue is taken up in purified corn oil, or 

 emulsified in dilute sodium carbonate. The subcutaneous injection of either 

 fluid containing the follicular hormone produces no ill-effects on test animals, 

 but brings about the following reactions on spayed animals : — 



1. From one to three injections of this extract produces typical oestrual 

 hyperaemia, growth, and hypersecietion in the genital tract, and also growth 

 of the mammary glands. These changes include all the remarkable 

 histological alterations of the oestrus cycle. 



- 2. Such spayed animals, after treatment, will take normal vigorous males. 

 The spayed females take the initiative as usual in the courtship, and do not 



