Note on Russo's attempt to show differentiation of sex in the ovarian ova of the rabbit / by Walter Heape.

  • Heape, Walter, 1855-1929.
Date:
[1908]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Note on Russo's attempt to show differentiation of sex in the ovarian ova of the rabbit / by Walter Heape. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    At Prof. Bateson’s suggestion I have examined Russo’s histo- logical evidence and compared his figures with my own prepara- tions of rabbits’ ovaries, with the following result: Russo’s histological methods are, so far as I understand them, specially adopted to enable him to demonstrate the existence of fatty matter in the ovum and surrounding tissue. He describes and figures two kinds of ova; the one in which fat is more or less abundantly evidenced both in the ovum, in the Z'»na radiata and, in some cases, in the surrounding follicular tissue; the other in which no such deposit of fat is seen; and he maintains, as I understand him, that while the former are F. ova, those in which no fatty matter is present are M. ova. In view of the belief which is very generally held and which I admit I am myself strongly disposed to credit, that females require more nutriment than males for their successful development, this demonstration by Ru.-so deserves special attention. He figures many ova of different ages, from very young to fully mature ova, in which fatty material is present in varying degree, and it may be that the lecithin he supplied is responsible for some of that fat. But it is I believe known that lecithin is normally present in the yolk of eggs, and we are at once arrested by the query why, if that be so, do certain ova figured by him show no sign of its presence. He figures two such ova and especially refers to them as M. ova. The first of these is an ovum lying in the centre of a large follicle surrounded by its discus proligerus. It is drawn on too small a scale to admit of detailed criticism, but there are indica- tions that foreign elements are present among the cells of the discus. I find examples among my own preparations of a similar appearance, and when examined under a higher power it is seen to be due to the presence of leucocytes. I have no doubt what- ever that the presence of leucocytes in a follicle is a sure sign of degenerative change, and though I cannot assert Russo’s figure is that of a degenerating follicle, it is not free from the suspicion that such is the case, and it is to be regretted he did not give a more detailed drawing of it. Of the second “ male” ovum figured by Russo there can be no such doubt. He calls it a ripe ovum ready to be discharged from the ovary, and it is represented possessed of a nuclear spindle, lying free in a sharply-bounded cavity the cells surrounding which are more or less cubical or flattened. The cavity is either a hole in the discus or the follicular cavity itself, probably the former. The specimen is highly magnified and ouly a few of these sur- rounding discus (follicular ?) cells are included in the drawing. Now no such condition is ever seen in the healthy, ripe follicle