CORPUS LUTEUM IN ITS RELATION TO MENSTRUATION AND PREGNANCY*

Abstract

The corpus luteum, as a gland of internal secretion, has aroused considerable interest for many years. This conception seemed so plausible, and appeared to be so well supported by experimental evidence, that for a long time it was quite generally accepted as a fact. On this basis many of the phenomena of the sexual cycle and pregnancy were explained. Further, it was responsible for the therapeutic use of various corpus luteum preparations, some of which at first appeared to give quite remarkable results. However, these have come to be almost entirely discredited, and along with this change the conception of the role of the structure as a gland of internal secretion has undergone considerable modification. In the brief space of this paper it is not possible to enumerate all these change, but it is desired to discuss some of the recent studies which show that certain modifications are necessary.