Abstract
One hundred and forty-four recently bred female albino mice in groups of 24 each were exposed to gamma-irradiation continuously for the first 20 days of gestation at the rate of 22, 27, 30, 44, and 52 R/day respectively and then sacrificed. Gross examination revealed (1) that the litter size was significantly smaller than that of the control; (2) that the litter size of the groups treated with 44 and 52 R/day was significantly smaller than the litter size of the groups treated with 22-30 R/day; (3) that the resorption of embryos after implantation increased with an increase in radiation dose; and (4) that the treated fetuses weighed significantly less than the controls but did not differ significantly in length. Histologically the eye, kidney, and adrenals did not differ observably from the controls'. The livers of the treated animals showed evidence of hemopoietic activity. The testes contained tubules with only a few germinal epithelium cells and had an apparent excess of interstitial cells. Thirty-four female albino mice were treated in the same manner as those sacrificed but allowed to undergo parturition in order that the effects of radiation during early postnatal development could be studied. The offspring of these treated females weighed less than those of the controls at birth. All groups except those receiving 44 and 52 R/day overcame this weight deficiency by the age of 6 weeks. The survival rate to age 6 weeks, however, was significantly lower in the group treated with 52 R/day.
Coats, Jim Allen (1971). Fetal manifestations of continuous prenatal gamma irradiation in the albino mouse. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -170205.