Transbuccal Hypophysectomy in the Japanese Quail

THE transbuccal approach of Hill and Parkes (1934) has proven to be a rapid and reliable method for hypophysectomy in Japanese quail. Although this approach requires considerable skill and causes some interference with the bird’s ability to feed, it has been widely used in the chicken because it allows good exposure of the anterior pituitary under direct vision. In a relatively small bird like Coturnix, where working space is cramped and the risk of inadvertent brain injury is substantial, visual control of the operation is of first importance. Since hypophysectomy of Coturnix was reported in abstract form (Opel, 1967), I have had many requests for clarification of the transbuccal approach as applied to the quail. Although the needed modifications of the well-described approach of Hill and Parkes are simple and obvious, beginning operators report a variety of unexpected problems, including difficulty in restraining Coturnix for anesthesia and in making the…