Further note on the transplantation and growth of mammalian ova within a uterine foster-mother / by Walter Heape ; communicated by W.H. Gaskell.

  • Heape, Walter, 1855-1929.
Date:
[1897]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Further note on the transplantation and growth of mammalian ova within a uterine foster-mother / by Walter Heape ; communicated by W.H. Gaskell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    all closely resembled their Dutch father, but three of them were apparently thorough-bred Belgian Hares; it certainly seems that in the case of these animals the Belgian Hare strain is much the stronger of the two; at the same time the father’s influence is seen in the very general introduction of white and in the fawn and dun colours of certain of the young. With regard to the foster-children, one of them unfortunately died at an early age, but the second one lived and is now more typically Dutch than it was when very young. It is coloured like its mother, fawn and white, and has no trace of the bluish dun shade noticeable here and there in its father’s coat. Its head, feet, and legs, ai*e remarkably like its mother’s, the saddle on the back is fairly well defined, especially on one side, and the main faults ai*e white tips to the ears and patches of white acro.ss the fawn colour of the back and sides. In reviewing the whole question one may claim :— (1) That in two litters got by the Dutch buck out of Belgian Hare does, there were ten young ones, not one of which so nearly approaches the Dutch type as does the single Dutch young one borne by the Belgian Hare foster-mother. (2) That the bad marking of the young got by the Dutch buck out of a pure-bred Dutch doe is shown to be the fault of the father, and that, consequently, it is not surprising his other offspring, the foster-child, should also be badly marked. (3) That the probability of the Dutch buck begetting character- istic Dutch young when crossed with a doe of another species, is reduced to a minimum ; while, on the other hand, the probability is increased that a young one, with such strongly marked Dutch characteristics as the foster-child is possessed of, is derived from the ovum of a Dutch mother. (4) That the chance of producing a cross-bred young one out of the Belgian Hare foster-mother by the help of Dutch spermatozoa, which was twenty-four or more hours old when introduced into her fallopian tube, is remote; and is rendered still more improbable when it is remembered that fresh Belgian Hare spermatozoa in ample quantity would also be present. (5) That the similarity of the result now obtained with that obtained in 1890, is striking evidence in favour of my con- tention that these experiments present strong evidence towards the proof, (1) that it is possible to make use of the utrrns of one variety of rabbit as a medium for the growth and complete foetal development of fertilised ova of another variety of rabbit; and (2) that the uterine foster-mother