1. An ovarian extract has been prepared, which, when administered to animals, produces a fall in blood calcium.
2. The active principle has been found to be present in extracts of liquor folliculi, residual ovary, and corpus luteum. It is also present in placenta.
3. The fall in blood calcium amounts in typical cases to 30–35 percent. of the normal value. The blood calcium cannot generally be reduced any lower than this by increasing or repeating the dose.
4. The maximum fall in blood calcium is usually produced in about twenty‐four hours, and it returns to normal in forty‐eight hours.
5. The action of the hormone on the blood calcium is the same in both sexes.
6. The extract is active when administered subcutaneously or intraperitoneally. It is also active on oral administration when the dose is considerably increased.
7. Injection of the extract as an emulsion in distilled water is inactive. It is active when dissolved in olive‐oil or weak sodium bicarbonate solution.
8. The result of ovariotomy in rabbits is the production of wide fluctuations in the blood calcium level.
9. The action of the ovarian hormone on the blood calcium is suggested as a means for standardisation.
10. It is suggested that the mode of action of the ovarian hormone is by influencing other endocrine glands.
We desire to express our thanks to the Research Grant Board of this University for meeting portion of the expense involved in these researches; and also to Professors W. A.
Jolly and E. S.
Edie for their interest in the work.
1. Various agencies which affect colour change and pituitary action on melanophores have no effect on the fasting blood‐sugar level.
2. Hypophysectomy, whether total or partial, has no effect on the fasting blood‐sugar level.
3. Hypophysectomy leads to a considerable increase in the tolerance to glucose.
The expenses for this research were defrayed by a grant from the Research Grant Board of the Union of South Africa. We beg to thank Mr. D. G.
Duncan for assistance in the blood‐sugar estimations.
IN a previous communication (1) we showed that alcoholic extracts of the different portions of the ovary when injected into rabbits produce a fall of blood-calcium. We then tried the effects of this extract on man.Our procedure was in all respects the same as that used for rabbits, as described in our previous paper. We took the additional precaution of purifying our extracts and removing all traces of cholesterol until the preparation no longer gave the Liebermann-Burchardt reaction for cholesterol. The liquor folliculi and residual ovary were derived from cows' and pigs' ovaries, and the corpus luteum from cows' only. The extracts were sterilised by heating to 800 C. for about half an hour, and were then dissolved in olive oil which had been sterilised by boiling.
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