Experiments carried out with human foetal hypophysis or adenohypophysis cultured in combination with adrenal tissue supplied evidence that the human foetal adrenal possesses the potentiality to secrete hydrocortisone, and the human foetal hypophysis to secrete ACTH, and, further, that the hypophysis continues to produce ACTH at a low level without stimulation by the hypothalamus, at least for some time.ACTH added when hydrocortisone production had already been falling for several days invariably increased adrenocortical hormone production. Remarkably, this production reached its peak not on the day of addition, but 2 to 4 days later, although the cultures had been washed daily and no fresh ACTH had been introduced.

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Secretion of oestrogen by the ovaries of foetal (15-19 days of gestation) and newborn rats in organ and tissue culture was not detectable by fluorometry when the ovary was taken from foetuses before folliculogenesis had occurred. In organ cultures of ovaries, the time of folliculogenesis corresponded with the normal timing of folliculogenesis in vivo. In tissue cultures the process of formation of follicles was delayed. Oestrogens were present in the medium when folliculogensis was fully established in the cultured foetal ovaries. Secretion began spontaneously and did nto depend on the addition of gonadotrophins to the medium. The addition of gonadotrophins the the culture medium did not effect the level of oestrogen secreted by the foetal and newborn rat ovaries during the period of incubation (2-3 weeks).

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