An undescribed relation of the suprarenals to ovulation

Abstract

The observations described here make it extremely probable that the suprarenal glands regularly and greatly enlarge in close relation to the time of liberation of ova from the ovary. The maximum size seems to be attained in the 44-hour interval between the ovulation of the first and second ova—which together constitute a definite period of ovarian activity in the pigeon. The early stages of the suprarenal enlargement are coincident with the 4 to 5 days of extremely rapid growth 1 which these ova undergo immediately before their expulsion from the ovary. Knowledge of the exact time (within an hour) of ovulation in the pigeon has made this result possible. An enlargement of the oviduct also occurs quite parallel with that of the suprarenals (both facts shown by curves and tables). That an hypertrophy of the suprarenals occurs in some sort of relation to the menstruation, pregnancy and lactation of mammals has of course been described; so far as we are aware the nexus with ovulation has been overlooked.

Before undertaking the present study we had learned that birds dead of tuberculosis, or from the presence of round-worms (Ascaridia), usually show enlarged suprarenals. The normal size of each suprarenal had been found to lie between 0.006- 0.009 gram; those dead of tuberculosis weighed as much as 0.051 g. and the Ascaridia-infested were almost equally enlarged. Enlargement of these glands doubtless occurs under many other infections. Forty-three females with fully known reproductive history were taken for this study; they were killed at several intervals with reference to ovulation; they were placed in one of two groups according to whether they showed or failed to show round-worms or tuberculosis. The data obtained from the healthy birds show that in nearly (not quite) all cases the suprarenals