The Use of the South African Frog (Xenopus laevis) in the Diagnosis of Pregnancy

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THE use of the South African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) in a test for pregnancy was first reported some years ago,1 , 2 only five years after Aschheim and Zondek's original description of the mouse test in 1929. Like its predecessors, the test is based on the stimulation of the ovaries by the gonadotropic hormones excreted in the urine of pregnant women or of persons harboring neoplastic chorionic tissue. The adult South African clawed frog is peculiarly suited for this procedure because its ovaries always contain eggs, which the frog never extrudes unless it is contacted by the male or unless the . . .