Abstract
The effects of ovariectomy in young animals depend to a large extent upon the time elapsing between operation and autopsy. When ovariectomy was performed at 26 days and autopsy at 184 days (6 months), there were certain definite changes. Freudenberger and Billeter 1 reported those changes as follows: significantly heavier weights for the body, head, integument, humerus, thymus, and stomach. The suprarenal glands and uterus were definitely lighter. In addition, the tail length, and the weights of the heart, lungs and alimentary group were considered to be nearly significantly greater. There were no quantitative changes in the lengths of the body, femur, and humerus or in the weights of the femur, hypophysis, brain, spinal cord, eyeballs, submaxillary glands, intestines, liver, kidneys, and spleen.
As a result of the above experiment, we became interested in determining whether or not there might be other changes in animals somewhat older at time of autopsy (273 days). We also wished to ascertain whether ovariectomy in adult rats (177 days) would produce different results than those in pre-puberally operated animals. We decided to autopsy all of the animals at an arbitrarily set age of 273 days (9 months).
All materials, methods, and procedures were identical to those previously used and reported (Freudenberger and Hashimoto 2 ). Reference to individual reports in the literature would entail the use of too great an amount of space for the present paper. We refer the reader to Hatai, 3 Livingston, 4 Andersen and Kennedy, 5 and Freudenberger and Billeter 1 for more complete resumés.
Experimental Observations and Conclusions: One group of 10 female Wistar albino rats were oöphorectomized at 25 days of age. Twelve littermate controls were used. A second group of 25 animals were spayed at 177 days.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.