Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Rheological Properties of Secretions from the Cervix of Pregnant and Non-pregnant Cows

Nature volume 149, pages 609–610 (1942)Cite this article

Abstract

IT has already been observed1 that the flow-curves for bovine cervical secretions tested in an emptying tube viscometer2 show a curvature which exhibits cyclic variations closely related to changes in the cestrous cycle. We have since found that, considering only the lower part (first 33 per cent) of the flow-curve, in which elastic fore-effect preponderates, curves plotting log (L2—I2) against log t (which are generally remarkably linear3) show greater slopes for cows known to be pregnant (three months or more) than for non-pregnant animals. (L is the initial length of the column and I the length after time t.) The slopes (Y) vary from a value of about 0.6 near oestrus to about 1. 0 or a little more at some other point in the cycle and reach values sometimes higher than 2. 0 in pregnancy.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Scott Blair, G. W., Folley, S. J., Malpress, F. H., and Coppen, F.M.V., Biochem. J., 35, 1039 (1941); NATURE, 147, 453 (1941).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Scott Blair, G. W., Koli. Z., 78, 19 (1937).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. The linearity of such curves for non-Newtonian honey was commented on in ref. (2).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for Research in Dairying, University of Reading,

    G. W. SCOTT BLAIR, A. T. COWIE & F. M. V. COPPEN

Authors
  1. G. W. SCOTT BLAIR
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. T. COWIE
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. F. M. V. COPPEN
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

BLAIR, G., COWIE, A. & COPPEN, F. Rheological Properties of Secretions from the Cervix of Pregnant and Non-pregnant Cows. Nature 149, 609–610 (1942). https://doi.org/10.1038/149609a0

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/149609a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing