The effect of endocrine ablation on the healing of incised wounds in aponeurosis

Abstract

I N a previous study (Douglas, 1952) it was observed that the healing of incised wounds in the lumbodorsal aponeurosis of rabbits followed a regular pattern in which two features were prominent :-exponential in form and in two independent sets of data was very similar.It was originally intended to have 20 animals in each group, but because of the high mortality of hypophysectomy and of adrenalectomy, we had to be content with 15 and 11 animals in these groups Hypophysectomy was carried out by the parapharyngeal technique of Jacobsohn and Westman I. The curve of gain of tensile strength is respectively. 2. The wound remains weaker than the parent tissue for at least three months and, as a rule, does not regain its original strength even after one year.The constancy of these findings suggested that the process was systemically controlled and attempts have now been made to investigate the role of the endocrine glands. METHODSAdult rabbits were divided into five groups: Groups I, 2, and 3 were submitted to hypophysectomy, bilateral adrenalectomy, and thyroidectomy respectively ; Group 4 was used as a control group ; and Group 5 was submitted to nephrectomy to provide operative trauma comparable to adrenalectomy, but not being associated as far as is known with hormone deprivation.(1940) and proved to be a most lethal operation, a large number of rabbits being submitted to the operation to obtain the 15 survivors. Most of the deaths were due to respiratory obstruction from blood leaking into the posterior nares. Other deaths were due to hypoglycaemia during the first 24 hours, even though the animals were given 20 ml. of 5 per cent dextrose in water subcutaneously after operation. The completeness of the hypophysectomy was checked by post-mortem examination.Adrenalectomy was carried out by a two-stage lumbar approach. Because of the intimate relationship of the right adrenal to the vena cava it was found quite impossible to remove the right adrenal by ordinary dissection. An attempt was made to overcome this by resecting a segment of the vena

The Cytology of Wound Healing of Body Surfaces in Mammals

“…In contrast to the work outlined by Harvey (1949) (see above), where the strength of wounded tissue eventually exceeded that of the normal, Douglas (1952) studied the healing of incised wounds in the lumbo-dorsal aponeurosis of rabbits, and found that even after one year the original strength of the tissue had not been regained. The repair was not influenced by the pituitary, adrenal or thyroid glands (Douglas, 1957). Thorngate & Ferguson (1958) noted that similar wounds in the rabbit healed with greater strength when under tension.…”