Effects of repeated transplantation of whole suprarenals into young doves

Abstract

In much of the literature on the suparenal glands one or another relation of these organs to sex and to reproduction is more or less clearly indicated. In a study of these relationships only slight success has been obtained from efforts to transplant suprarenal tissue. 1 2 The present study was chiefly an attempt to obtain functional grafts of whole suprarenals in young doves and pigeons; or, if persistent transplants were not obtained, to repeat the transplantations at intevals during growth so that some of this tissue would be either functioning or in course of resorption during a considerable part of the period of immaturity; and then to examine several aspects of sex and of reproduction in the treated animals.

We have failed in our attempts to obtain permanent grafts. A number of eggs were obtained from each of the transplanted doves and offspring of these birds were reared. Records were made for both the parents (transplanted) and offspring during a period of 30 months and data obtained for various reproductive capacities and characteristics (age of maturity, fertility, viability, rate of egg production, number and kind of various abnormalities). An examination of these data indicates that none of these characteristics in the offspring can be associated with the transplantations made upon their parents; and that most of these reproductive characteristics were also unaffected in the transplanted birds themselves. This considerable amount of data comprising negative results need not be further considered and is left with the above brief statement. It is thought, however, that two or three by-products of these transplantation tests are of sufficient interest to record, though the data are too meagre to warrant conclusions.

Fifteen ring doves and five common pigeon young received the first transplants at 5 to 10 days after hatching (age was therefore 19-24 days). Additional transplants were made in several cases at about 25, 50, 75 and 100 days later