Fertilisation in the Rabbit

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Abstract
In a previous paper (Pincus, 1930) it was concluded that for the fertilisation of the ovum of the rabbit it takes the spermatozoa from 2 to 3 hours after ovulation, to reach and effectively fertilise the egg. This conclusion was based on experiments in which ova, taken from the tubes at various intervals after fertile matings, were cultured in vitro. It was found that “the proportion of ova from fertile matings that divide in culture is very low for ova recovered between 11 and 12 hours after copulation, increases for ova obtained from 12 to 13 hours after copulation, and practically all ova recovered from 14 hours after copulation onward divide in culture.” Since ovulation in the rabbit normally occurs at about 10 hours after copulation there is a period from ovulation to about 3 hours later when the significant events associated with sperm penetration occur. It was decided therefore to examine with some care the state of rabbit ova as recovered from the tubes during this critical period.

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