THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION OF THE ISOLATED UTERUS OF THE RAT AND MOUSE

¹ The Department of Pharmacology, University of Edinburgh

1. The oxygen consumption per unit weight of the uteri of mice and rats shows a cyclical variation; it remains uniform during the greater part of the cycle, but is approximately doubled during the latter part of distrus.

2. The oxygen consumption rate of the whole uterus of mice and rats is at its maximum during the strous phase and at its minimum during the latter part of distrus. This effect is brought about by the great variations in the weight of the organ during the strous cycle.

3. The oxygen consumption rate per unit weight of the uterus of mice and rats varies inversely as the cube root of the body-weight of the animal.

We thank Professor A. J. Clark for his help during this investigation. The expenses were paid by a grant from the Moray Fund of Edinburgh University.