The Pharmacological Studies on the Human Uterus (First Communication) On the Automatism and Innervation of the Uterus

Although the innervation of the female genital organs of the various kinds of animals, and the reactions of those organs to the drugs, are fairly well understood, the questions as to the innervation and pharmacological reactions of the human reproductive organs are however but partly solved. The present investigations have been made for the purpose of throwing some light on those problems, and the following conclusions were reached in the research on the human uterus. 1. The strip of the human uterus musculature manifests rhythmical automatism by means of the Magnus' method, regardless of the portion and direction of the strip towards the uterus itself. The automatism of the strip out of the corpus uteri is more active than that of the strip from the cervix uteri. The intensity of the automatism of the strips of the different muscular layers and of the different directions coincides with the histological view as to the arrangement of the muscular fibres in the human uterus. 2. Carcinoma hampers the automatism of the strip taken out of the adjacent portion of the tumor, while myoma does not interfere with it. The difference in the ages of patients between 26 and 54 years has no influence upon tne automatism of the uterus strip. The strip of a multiparaous uterus is more vigorous than that of a nulliparaous uterus in its automatism. 3. Adrenalin manifests both pressing and depressing effects on the human uterus, so it is clearly seen that the sympathetic nerve in the human uterus is provided with both kinds of fibres, pressing and depressing. 4. Pilocarpin shows stimulating action on the uterus in low or moderate concentration. Owing to this fact it may be said that the parasympathetic nerve in the human uterus is pressor in its nature. Pilocarpin in high concentration produces stimulating action on the depressor of the sympathetic nerve of the uterus. 5. Acethylcholin exerts pressing action on the strip of the uterus by stimulating the parasympathetic nerve, but its highly concentrated solution produces stimulation on the muscle, followed by paralysis. 6. Physostigmin causes the contraction of the uterus owing chiefly to the stimulation of the muscle itself. 7. Atropin in low concentration paralizes the periphery of the parasympathetic nerve, while a moderately concentrated solution paralizes selectively the pressing fibres of the sympathetic nerve, and a highly concentrated solution causes the paralysis of the muscle