Time of Oviposition as Affected by Neuromimetic Drugs

THE study of the innervation of the reproductive tract of the hen has received comparatively little attention. Mauger (1941) traced the beginnings of a rather complex autonomic nerve supply to the ovary and oviduct but did not differentiate sympathetic from parasympathetic fibers. Morash and Gibbs (1929), through the use of balloons in the uterus or strings connected to the detached posterior end of the oviduct in situ, showed that acetylcholine and histamine contracted the uterus, whereas adrenalin relaxed it. In vitro studies by McKenney et al. (1932) on the excised oviduct of the laying hen confirmed Morash and Gibb’s findings and added additional details. Epinephrine caused prolonged relaxation of the uterus (30 minutes) but also gave maximum contractions of the infundibulum and magnum of short duration. All segments contracted with acetylcholine and histamine. Atropine would inhibit the action of acetylcholine but had no appreciable effect alone. The chicken uterus was . . .