“…Csapo (1961) suggested that the abortion is produced by a reduction in progesterone secretion consequent upon structural damage to the placenta caused by the saline. However, claims that extensive necrosis of the placenta follows intra-amniotic hypertonic saline administration (Csapo & Lloyd-Jacob, 1962; Bengtsson Straus, 1963;Wynn, 1965;Friedrich, personal communication) have been contested (Christie, Anderson, Turnbull & Beck, 1966). Furthermore, whereas the steroid chemical analyses of Wiest, Kerenyi & Csapo (1966) and Wiest (1967) document that a fall in blood-progesterone occurs following intra-amniotic saline, those of Short, Wagner, Fuchs & Fuchs (1965), Kerr, Roy, Harkness, Short & Baird (1966) and Klopper, Turnbull & Anderson (1966) do not support this hypothesis.…”