Nostrums and Panacea: against Sterility 275 



tor " held the canal open and that, during ejaculation, the semen 

 was thrown directl}' into the uterine cavity, the urethal opening 

 of the penis coming into direct apposition to the open tube. 



Evidently the os uteri was open, as, otherwise, the " impreg- 

 nator " could not have been inserted. The advocates of its use 

 have not shown why semen passed through a rubber tube should 

 have its virility increased. But mares, which had been sterile pre- 

 viously, conceived at the first service, and statements to that ef- 

 fect, by owners of mares, were freely used by makers of " im- 

 pregnators " to show their infallibility. What influence, if any, 

 was exerted by the " impregnator, " is not wholly clear, but gen- 

 erally it may be regarded as a harmless diversion, which ordina- 

 rily will not prevent conception. In rare cases, they may be of 

 actual value. 



Incidentally, experience with " impregnators " teaches that, 

 contrary to the views of some, the penis of the stallion does not 

 enter the cervical canal of the mare during normal copulation. 

 If it did, the " impregnator " would inevitably be displaced into 

 the uterine cavity. 



Injections of Yeast Solution into the Vagina. Another 

 method of handling sterility in cows, which acquired, for a time, 

 a favorable reputation, was the injection into the vagina of a 

 solution of yeast or the introduction, by other means, of yeast 

 into the vaginal cavity. Cows previously sterile, in some cases, 

 promptly conceived and these cases were naturally reported. 

 Those which did not conceive after the treatment were generally 

 not mentioned. 



There may be conditions of the vagina, chronic infections of 

 the mucosa, or other disease, which the application of yeast may 

 overcome, but this has not been determined. It is inconceivable, 

 in our pre.sent state of knowledge, that yeast introduced into the 

 vagina could overcome cystic degeneration, sclerosis or abscess 

 of the ovaries, or, indeed, many of the conditions named in the 

 preceding pages as causes of sterility. 



Aphrodisiacs. Yohimbin Spiegel. For many years 

 numerous drugs have been credited with the power of arousing 

 the sexual appetite and, through this agency, the sexual powers. 

 Among these drugs are : cantharides, turpentine and the balsams 

 and resins and, more recently, a new drug, yohimbin, has been 



