An Experimental Study of the Effects of Roentgen Rays on the Gonads of the Sexually Mature Domestic Fowl

Abstract

WITH the aid of standardized x-ray equipment we have under taken a systematic study of the effects of roentgen rays on the gonads of the domestic fowl. In this study, we have attempted to correlate the age of the animal, the dosage given, and the results obtained. In the first part of the study (1) we were dealing with the embryo and the young chick. The present paper deals with the study of the adult male and female bird. Materials and Methods The x-ray machine2 used was mechanically rectified and provided with a Landauer roentgenometer. A universal Coolidge therapy tube was used. The setup of the machine for the entire experiment was as follows: The kilowatt meter was set at 96, which delivered 112 kv.p. as measured by the sphere gap; the milliammeter was set at 6 ma.; the focal distance was 10 in.; the filter was equivalent to 4 mm. aluminum; the roentgenometer was kept at 3.2 micro-amperes, which, by calculation, gave 0.6 r per second. The desired r, or dosage, was obtained by varying the time of expo...