Abstract

PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS of the preceding article have set forth the advisability of studying the thyro-gonadal interrelationships in the male. Both the endocrine and exocrine (gametokinetic) functions of the male gonads merit investigation under the conditions of varying grades of thyroid activity. The present study deals with correlations of basal metabolic rates and seminal biometry and cytology.

At the present, any investigations of speratogenic functions to a great degree are unsatisfactory because of our deficient knowledge of the normal physiology of spermatozoa. Hartman's recent review (1) takes critical inventory of this knowledge. While fairly well accepted standards of normalcy are recognized for numbers and dilution of spermatozoa, cytologic characteristics, degree of and duration of motility of spermatozoa and volumes of ejaculates, there is little critical information upon the various factors which may influence these. Segregation of single causal variants in comparative studies of seminal specimens is necessary and yet, at present, this is always uncertain due to the inadequate synthesis of our knowledge of male reproductive physiology.

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