4 8 



Scientific Proceedings (47). 



34 (643) 



The internal secretion of the mammae as a factor in the onset 



of labor. 



By DANIEL J. HEALY and JOSEPH H. KASTLE. 



[From the Laboratory of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment 



Station.] 



The importance of the internal secretions has come to be well 

 recognized in modern physiology and medicine. Among other 

 interesting observations in this field may be mentioned the fact 

 that Miss Lane-Claypon and Starling (Proc. Roy. Soc, 1906, 

 B. 505) have shown that the stimulus to the hypertrophy and 

 lacteal activity of the mammary glands, in pregnant animals, 

 comes not from the ovaries, or the placenta or the uterus, but 

 from the fetus itself. In connection with our studies on the toxic 

 nature of the colostrum of the cow, ill with parturient paresis, we 

 have succeeded in showing that the colostrum both of the normal 

 cow and that of the cow ill with parturient paresis contain a sub- 

 stance, or substances, which have the power to bring on abortion 

 in pregnant guinea pigs; and that neither normal salt solution 

 (0.85 per cent. NaCl) nor the fresh milk of a healthy dairy herd 

 have the power to bring on premature labor. It has also been 

 shown that boiling for a short time does not destroy the power of 

 the normal colostrum of the cow to accomplish premature labor 

 in pregnant guinea pigs. 



In this abstract of our paper on this subject we have only space 

 for the details of one experiment, which are as follows : 



Experiment 15. — A healthy guinea pig in the 5th to the 7th 

 week of pregnancy received by intraperitoneal injection 10 c.c. of 

 sterile, normal salt solution (0.85 per cent. NaCl). The injection 

 caused no discomfort and at the end of five days she had not 

 aborted. She then received by intraperitoneal injection 10 c.c. 

 of fresh milk, from a healthy dairy herd. This was heated to 

 38 0 C. before the injection. The pig showed no discomfort and 

 had not aborted at the end of four days. She then received, by 

 intraperitoneal injection, 8 c.c. of the first, fresh, whole colostrum 

 of a normal cow (second calf). This colostrum was heated to 

 38 0 C. before the injection. Following this last injection this 



