SPERMATOZOöN LIFE IN THE FEMALE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT OF THE GUINEA PIG AND RAT

Abstract

The author studied the duration of life of spermatozoa in different portions of the female tract of 13 guinea pigs and 14 rats after normal mat-ings. Similar studies were made of the spermatozoa artificially injected into 11 guinea pigs and 6 rats at oestrum and 23 guinea pigs at the interoestrous period. It was found that motile sperm were in the uterine horns and oviducts of guinea pigs 41 hrs. after normal mating, and in rats 17 hrs. after mating. In the cases of insemination during oestrum, motility was maintained for 411/2 hrs. in guinea pigs and 121/2 hrs. in rats. The duration of life of sperm artificially injected at the interoestrous period was 36 hrs. in guinea pigs. There was thus no physiological difference in the uterus at oestrum and interoestrum which could be detected in the life of the spermatozoa. However, injections of sperm of rats into guinea pigs survived but 41/2 hrs. and guinea pig sperm injected into female rats survived but 11 hrs. It thus appears that a foreign uterus has a marked effect upon the destruction of spermatozoa.