A New Method of Assaying the Potency of the Female Sex Hormone Based Upon Its Effect on the Spontaneous Contraction of the Uterus of the White Rat

The Internal Secretions of the Ovary

“…The acetone extract contains the active principle. Since 1915, Frank and his collaborators (219)(220)(221)(222)(223)(224)(225)(226)(227)(228)(229)(230)(231) have reported a series of observations agreeing roughly with those of Herrmann and Fraenkel. These authors emphasize the presence of the oestrusproducing substance in both placentae and corpora lutea.…”

“…The injection of oestrin into the immature animal brings about the appearance of precocious oestrous symptoms, including opening of the vaginal orifice, and where such symptoms may be detected in the intact animal, as in the rat and mouse, this is a fairly convenient test for oestrusproducing activity. It suffers, however, from two disadvantages An entirely different method of assaying oestrous activity has been put forward by Frank and his coworkers (222), by Seckinger (555) and by Brouha and Simonnet (103), who have suggested that the effect of the oestrous hormone on the spontaneous contractions of the uterus (see p. 203) could be used as a criterion. Such a proceeding, however, has obvious disadvantages.…”

Clinical Data Obtained With the Female Sex Hormone Blood Test

“…The hormone is found in the circulating blood from the twelfth to the fortieth week of gestation. 5. In functional bleeding a majority of cases show excessive ovarian activity.…”

The Female Sex Hormone

“…13 Thus, Frank and his collaborators explain the seeming incongruity of finding an identical hormone in such anatomically and functionally dissimilar organs as ovarian follicle, corpus luteum and placenta; and they have coined the name "gestational gland" for this trinity which presides over the process of reproduction.…”