Re: A delicate matter...

["Nicholas J. Pharris" <pharrinj@PLU.edu>]

On Sat, 10 Feb 1996 JohnE37179@aol.com wrote:

> I understand that, but not in land mammals. I doubt that it is absolute body
> temperature, but rather the variation over a day, a week or a season... Just
> a thought.

Maybe someone out there could help me out on this one, but the 
explanation I always heard about external testes in male mammals was that 
spermatogenesis works best when it takes place at a few degrees lower 
than the animal's internal temperature.  In fact, spermatogenesis 
apparently declines (whether in quality or quantity) when a male mammal 
has a fever, although I'm not certain whether that is directly related to 
the temperature or to some other factor of the disease.

Nick Pharris
Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, WA 98447
(206)535-8204
PharriNJ@PLU.edu

"If you can't convince them, confuse them." -- Harry S Truman