The neuroses of the genito-urinary system in the male : with sterility and impotence / by R. Ultzmann ; tr. by Gardner W. Allen.

  • Robert Ultzmann
Date:
1890
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The neuroses of the genito-urinary system in the male : with sterility and impotence / by R. Ultzmann ; tr. by Gardner W. Allen. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    less, i.e., dead, the tail is either rolled up in a spiral or bent. Spermatozoa which have been killed by injurious secretions (urine, acid vagi- nal secretions, etc.) very commonly show this condition. The motion of the spermatozoa in fresh semen is extremely lively. By whiplike wriggling of the tail the head is urged forward and winds its way, without striking against other cells, through the narrowest passages in the micro- scopic field. This migration of the spermatozoa, suggestive of voluntary motion, caused observ- ers in early times to regard the spermatozoa as organized living creatures, as indicated by the term, seminal animalcules [Samenthier- chen]. Water soon checks the movements of the spermatozoa and often causes the tails to curl up in a loop. Concentrated solutions of salts, sugar, albumen, urea, etc., may, however, revive these motionless spermatozoa, so that they re- gain their former activity. Animal secretions of alkaline reaction and moderate strength are favorable to the vitality of the spermatozoa, while thin and acid secretions, such as urine, acid mucus, etc., have a harmful influence. Caustic potash and soda invigorate the sper- matozoa ; on the other hand, cold completely arrests their movements, as also do solutions of metallic salts and acids.