QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by ROTHSCHILD, L. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by ROTHSCHILD, L.

Journal of Experimental Biology 26,388-395 (1950)
Published by Company of Biologists 1950

Counting Spermatozoa

LORD ROTHSCHILD ¹

¹ Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, and the Marine Station, Millport

1. The number of spermatozoa in a sample of sea-urchin semen (Echinus esculentus) can be accurately estimated by measuring the amount of light scattered and absorbed by a subsample composed of semen diluted with sea water. A ‘Spekker" photoelectric absorptiometer was used for the measurements, with a cell 1 cm. long.

2. The number N of spermatozoa in a sample of sea-urchin semen was found to be given by the equation N=8.0918x10¹⁰Y'±(1.590x10⁹Y') where Y' =0.3010-log₁₀y' and y' = absorptiometer reading, when the original sample was diluted 200 times and the absorptiometer set to 2.000 for the blank.

3. The light-scattering and light-absorbing properties of washed and unwashed suspensions were found to be virtually identical.

4. The number of spermatozoa in a sample of bull semen was found to be given by the equation N=3.3515x10⁹Y'±(5.283x10⁷Y'), when the original sample was diluted 30 times and the absorptiometer set to 2.000 for the blank.