The Internal Secretions of the Ovary

Peripheral Vascular Action of Estrogen in the Human Male 1

“…While it is generally recognized that estrogens are without demonstrable effect upon the mean level of arterial blood pressure (8,9,10,11,14,15), evidence is accumulating to show that the effects of estrogen on the peripheral circulation are quite widespread throughout the body, and are of a definite character. The following facts indicate this: the injection of estrogen causes swelling and changes in the water content of the sex-skin in certain primates (12); estrogen causes engorgement of the vessels in the nasal mucosa, including that of women (13); the injection of estrogen in the human is followed by a fall in capillary pressure and dilatation of the nail-bed capillary vessels (14); estrogen causes a decrease of venous pressure in the hand (15); and, finally, estrogen causes a change in the water content of the skin of the rat within a few hours (16) which is qualitatively comparable to that occurring in the uterus and vagina (16,17).…”

Quantitative data on the inhibition of œstrus by testosterone, progesterone, and certain other compounds

“…by the implantation of crystals of the hormone [Deanesly & Parkes, 1937]. At the same time the possibility remains that the so-called male hormone may play a part in controlling the sex cycle, and the recent extraction from the ovary of a substance possessing male hormone properties [Parkes, 1937] lends support to such a supposition.…”

“…It must, however, be noted that the ratio between the amounts of testosterone necessary to antagonize a given weight of oestrone and cestradiol respectively seems to be very similar and to be about 250: 1. The finding that the ratio between the amounts of cestrone or cestradiol and testosterone is the important factor on determining the inhibitory Parkes, 1936;Zuckerman, 1936]. (2) Progesterone and androstenedione inhibit the action of cestrone, but when given with oestradiol in a similar ratio (5000: 1) there is no inhibition of the vaginal effect.…”

“…Experiments on spayed pregnant animals The fact that testosterone exerts on the cestrous cycle an action similar to that of progesterone suggested the possibility that it might be effective in the maintenance of pregnancy. The finding that testosterone inhibits the reactivity to oxytocin of the rabbit's uterus [Rob son, 1937] and produces progestational proliferation of the endometrium [Klein & Parkes, 1936] was also in favour of such a possibility.…”

The effects of œstrin on the pseudo‐pregnant mouse

“…Previous work throws very little light on these results, although the effect of injections of cestrin or similar extracts has been investigated in several animals under widely varying conditions; Parkes [1929] gives a number of references. Tests on castrated animals are naturally not comparable to the present experiments.…”