Myelination in the central nervous system of the albino rat, treated with thymus extract (Hanson)

✍ Scribed by Albert C. Buckley

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1937
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 817 KB
• Volume: 66
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9967
• DOI: 10.1002/cne.900660212

✦ Synopsis

The investigations of Rowntree and his collaborators ('34), concerning ' ' The biologic effect of thymus extract, accruing acceleration in growth and development of the white rat," suggested that a study of the development of the central nervous system of treated animals, from the standpoint of myelination of axis cylinders, would be of interest.

The following table concerning the somatic developmental progress, according to Donaldson, and the development of the thymus treated rat, third generation, by Rowntree, is presented (table 1) for comparison and to indicate the degree of precocity obtained in the treated animals. TABLE 1 N o r m 1 albino rat (Donaldson) Thymus treated rat F8 (Bowntree) days Ears open 2t to 33 Teeth erupt 8 to 10 Eyes open 14 to 17 Hair covers genitals 16 Testes descend 40 Vagina open 72 days 1 to 2 1 to 2 3 to 5 4 to 6 5 to 12 22 to 27 Later generations of treated animals present similar signs of precocious development at an earlier date than in previous generations. For example, in F,, of treated animals, opening 449