. The Biological bulletin. Biology; Zoology; Biology; Marine Biology. COMPENSATORY HYPERTROPHY OF THE TESTES. 471 hypertrophy was shorter in our cases than in those reported by Benoit and it is possible that the explanation for the different results obtained may be found in this fact. The problem of compensatory hypertrophy of the gonad presents its teleological as well as its physiological aspects. The term itself has teleological implications; from this point of view the "purpose" might be either to provide increased repro- ductive capacity, which appears unnecessary, or to establi
. The Biological bulletin. Biology; Zoology; Biology; Marine Biology. COMPENSATORY HYPERTROPHY OF THE TESTES. 471 hypertrophy was shorter in our cases than in those reported by Benoit and it is possible that the explanation for the different results obtained may be found in this fact. The problem of compensatory hypertrophy of the gonad presents its teleological as well as its physiological aspects. The term itself has teleological implications; from this point of view the "purpose" might be either to provide increased repro- ductive capacity, which appears unnecessary, or to establish a balance of hormones. There again the solution is unsatisfactory for less than one testis is sufficient for maintenance of sex characters as shown by Pezard, '21 (8); '25 (9); Champy, '25 (10). Physiologically considered it would appear to be obvious that the growth of testis tissue is balanced against something else in the organism. The general bodily metabolism favors the growth of a definite amount of gonad tissue and no more. The removal of one testis of a pair leaves a balance of conditions favorable to the con- tinued growth beyond its normal size of the surviving member which thereupon responds in proportion to its growth capacity up to the limits of the favorable metabolism. When unilateral castration is performed very early this may result in a single testis greater in weight than a normal pair (Table I., case 16, Table II., case 815), whether there may be a progressive limitation of capacity for compensatory growth with increasing age as maintained by Benoit is still an open question as far as our own results are concerned. No theory is put forth in explanation of the change in the reaction between gonad and organism which follows removal of one of the gonad pair; it is shown by the facts. But the im- portance of the principle appears again in the transformations of the female following ovariotomy. The right rudimentary gonad responds with a proliferation of the k
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Keywords: ., bookauthorlilliefrankrat, booksubjectbiology, booksubjectzoology
