Effect of menotoxin injections on behavior of rats in the maze.

Abstract

Macht and Lubin 1 have described their studies on menotoxin first in these Proceedings and later in a fuller communication elsewhere. 2 It was shown that in the blood, sweat, saliva, milk and other secretions of menstruating women there is present a toxin, which is especially deleterious to plant protoplasm, but is also to a lesser degree toxic for animals and animal tissues. The chemical nature of this toxin was found by them to bear a relationship to oxycholesterin and allied bodies such as cholic acid.

It is well known that at the time of catamenia, the female organism undergoes profound metabolic and other physiological changes. Very common concomitants of menstruation are pain, malaise, nervous irritability, and psychic disturbances. In the present investigation an inquiry was made as to whether such symptoms may not be referred to the presence of menstrual toxins. Albino rats were trained to run in the circular maze, so as to perform that exercise in the shortest period of time and without errors. The rats were then injected with normal human blood serum on the one hand, and with blood serum from menstruating women, on the other hand, and the effect of the injections was observed. In order to avoid anaphylactic phenomena the injections were made in different rats, and when the same rats were used again, it was only after a long period of rest. Fifteen experiments were made with injections of normal human serum, and twenty-one with menstrual serum, the doses injected ranging from 0.01 cc. to 0.2 cc.

It was found that injections of normal serum produced no effect, or occasionally a slight transient depression. Injections of menstrual serum produced very marked depression of the animals, as manifested by their speed of running, loss of orientation, and numerous errors and frequently there was a distinct paresis of the hind legs.