Testicular Changes in Alcoholism. 131 



65 (1812) 



Testicular changes in acute alcoholism in man and their relation- 

 ship to blastophthoria. 



By CARL VERNON WELLER. 



[From the Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, 

 Ann Arbor, Mich.] 



The blastophthoric effect of acute and chronic intoxications 

 has been studied in the past chiefly by means of breeding experi- 

 ments, in the course of which it has been shown that such agents 

 as alcohol and lead can produce a definite blastophthoria without 

 histologically demonstrable lesions in the germinal epithelium. 

 By the same and other workers, it has been shown, however, 

 that if the intoxication with these agents be increased, or if the 

 subject be peculiarly susceptible, the germinal epithelium (male) 

 may be made to exhibit degenerative changes, shown by atypical 

 spermatogenesis or even by marked vacuolar degeneration and 

 complete aspermatogenesis. It must be assumed as a working 

 hypothesis that with any agent producing such demonstrable 

 changes in the spermatogenetic process there is an earlier period 

 in which spermatozoa showing less morphological deviation from 

 the normal and capable of fertilizing are produced. Of great 

 importance in this connection is the work of Widakowich 1 who 

 has shown that the semen of syphilitics often contains increased 

 numbers of atypical spermatozoa showing two, three or four 

 heads; two, three or four tails, or combinations of such failures 

 to divide. He notes also the occurrence of microcephalic and 

 macrocephalic types. 



In human material it is almost impossible to determine the 

 relative effects of chronic and of acute alcoholism; so that, while 

 the earlier literature specifies in almost all cases that the changes 

 found are those of chronic alcoholism, the more acute degenerative 

 changes and disturbances in spermatogenesis that have been 

 described may be chiefly due to the acute exacerbations. 



In investigation of this point five coroner's autopsies were 

 selected having in common the facts that death occurred in, or 



1 Widakowich, La Semana Medica, 1920, No. 46, Buenos Aires. 



