Abstract
Summary
Hypophyseal rudiments from tail bud stage embryos and hypophyses from tadpoles of various stages were homografted under the median eminence of adult Bufo bufo males with extirpated pars distalis. The rudiment had no effect on moulting or survival of the recipient, but the tadpole hypophysis increased survival time in 23 of 30 recipients. Most of the toads surviving longer than the controls showed periods with normal moulting. The best results were obtained with transplants from the advanced tadpole stages. Corticotropic activity of the transplant was probably responsible both for normal moulting and increased survival time. Homograft reactions resulted in destruction of the transplants after several weeks or months.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.