386 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION 



E. G. and A. D. Hoskyns ^ state that feeding rats on desiccated 

 suprarenal gland led to the hypertrophy of the gonads. 



The evidence as to the effect of castration on the suprarenals is 

 conflicting.^ 



It is thus seen that there is evidence of very definite functional 

 correlation between the gonads and the other organs of internal 

 secretion. In some cases this appears to be of the nature of a 

 potential compensatory arrangement ; in others it would seem rather 

 that the glands act antagonistically. In the present state of our 

 knowledge it is hardly possible to formulate any general scheme 

 which embraces all the known facts, and such attempts as have been 

 made in this direction have in our judgment been premature.^ 



Geneeal Conclusions eegarding the. Internal Secretions 

 OF THE Ovary and the Testis 



It will be convenient at this point to summarise the conclusions 

 which have been tentatively arrived at concerning the nature and 

 purpose of the internal secretions of the ovary and the testis. 



The mammalian ovary, in addition to its'oqgenetic function, is an 

 organ elaborating a chemical substance or substances which react on 

 the general metabolism and control the nutrition of the uterus and, 

 at any rate to some extent,' of the mammary glands. The secretion 

 is probably produced by the cells of the follicular epithelivim, or by the 

 interstitial cells of the stroma, or, perhaps, by both combined.* It is 

 formed in greater or less quantity at all times, but is produced, in 

 increased abundance at certain recurrent periods, when it brings 

 about those conditions of growth and hyperemia which characterise 



1 Hoskyns (E. G.) and Hoskyns (A. D.), " The Effects of Suprarenal Feeding,"' 

 Arch. Int. Med., vol. xvii., 1916. 



^ See Swale Vincent, "The Experimental and Clinical Evidence as to the 

 Influence Exerted by the Adrenal Bodies upon the Genital System," Surg., Gyn. 

 and Obstet., vol. xxv., 1917. See also de Mira, "Sur l'6tat des dapsules 

 Surr6nales chez les Animaux Ovariectomis6s," Bull. Soc. Portugaise des Sci. 

 Nat, vol. vi., 1912. 



^ See Swale Vincent, Internal Secretion and the Ductless Glands, London, 

 1922. Noel Paton, J'he Nervous and Chemical Regulation of Metabolism, London, 

 191.3. Biedl, loc. cit, and Blair Bell, loc. cit. 



* Limon {loc. pit.) suggested, as a result of his experiments in grafting, that 

 the ovarian secretion is elaborated by the interstitial cells. It should here 

 be remembered that the follicula,r epithelial and interstitial cells are almost 

 certainly identical by origin, and so probably similar potentially (p. 114), and 

 that both of these cellular elements have been described as taking part in the 

 formation of the corpus luteum (p. 142) ; and also, that those interstitial cells 

 which do riot form part of the corpus luteum have been stated to undergo an 

 independent hypertrophy during pregnancy (p. 156) ; cf. Steinach and Lipschutz 

 on the "puberty gland" (see above, p. 346). Bucura {loc. cit.) regards the 

 follicular epithelium, the interstitial cells, and the corpus luteum, as alike in 

 producing sexual hormones. 



