Abstract
THE pouch of the sexually mature, non-pregnant common Australian phalanger or possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) shows a marked reaction towards the administration of gonadotropic hormone obtained from human pregnancy urine. The immediate response during the period of administration is a decrease in the size of the pouch, but after about three injections of 200–500 I. U., the pouch expands markedly within a few days after the final injection. The increase in size in the caudal direction extends down to the pubis ; in the lateral direction the cavity may expand over the whole of the lower abdominal wall. In such cases the extended pouch would be capable of housing a large pouch young of about one eighth of the body-weight of the mother. With the expansion of the pouch, mammary glands and nipples also increase in size and the interior of the pouch becomes very moist due to the secretion of a fluid which at first is colourless and then turns brown. This enlarged pouch persists for about a week, then slow involution takes place extending over several weeks.
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Bolliger, A., and Carrodus, A., J. Roy. Soc. N.S.W., 73, 218 (1940).
Bolliger, A., and Carrodus, A., J. Roy. Soc. N.S.W., 73, 228 (1940).
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BOLLIGER, A. Effect of Chorionic Gonadotropin on the Pouch of the Marsupial Trichosurus vulpecula. Nature 149, 440 (1942). https://doi.org/10.1038/149440a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/149440a0
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