Dynamics of Ovarian Hypertrophy Under Experimental Conditions

Abstract

The number of young ova in hypertrophied or increased ovarian fragments is reduced, sometimes highly reduced. This phenomenon has been seen in five experiments on young rabbits. It is not very likely that the diminution is an apparent one due to the increased volume of the ovarian fragment. Ovarian hypertrophy is not due to new formation of young ova but to follicular development. The diminution of the number of young ova is explained by the fact that in an ovarian fragment a relatively increased number of young ova are used for follicular development. It is very probable that the increase of follicular development, as taking place in an ovarian fragment and causing hypertrophy of the latter, is due to some general factor possibly to somesubstance available in the body in a given amount. The ovarian fragment which alone remains in the body, reveals a tendency to cystic degeneration; hypertrophy is insome cases nothing else than increase in volume by formation of big follicular cysts. In five young rabbits fifteen ovaries from animals mostly of the same litters were subcutaneously engrafted. The grafts disappeared without any exception, in any case two months after the operation. In view of the great facility with which ovarian grafts generally take in homoiotransplantation, these negative results though not proving make it probable that the taking of the ovarian graft is rendered difficult when the ovaries in situ are present and use the substances as necessary for follicular development. In three out of six cases of rabbits containing hypertrophied ovarian fragments the uterus was normal ; the fact that the uterus was less developed in the remaining cases might be explained by the long latent period as necessary till the threshold quantity of hormones can be produced by the ovarian fragment. I am much indebted to my former co-worker Dr Karl Wagner, now Professor of Histology at the University of Kowno, for the sections for figs, i to 10 and 13 to 17; to Dr H. E. V. Voss for the sections for fig. 11 ; and to my friend Sergej Vešnjakov for the photographs.