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In an attempt to examine the surgical possibility of changing the vocal cord position and tension by reforming the thyroid cartilage, an experimental study was made using 10 adult dogs. Hoarseness produced by section of the recurrent laryngeal nerve was generally much improved by vertical incision on the thyroid ala and slipping in of the lateral cartilage segment. Four types of thyroplasty were proposed from the functional viewpoint. Their effects on the vocal cord are (1) lateral compression, (2) lateral expansion, (3) relaxation (shortening) and (4) stretching (lengthening) respectively. Possible indications for each type of thyroplasty were described with reference to specific laryngeal diseases. The advantages of thyroplasty were emphasized namely, that the intervention inside the thyroid cartilage is minimal and therefore fine and reliable adjustment is possible during surgery. Thyroplasty thus offers a new possibility in phonosurgery.

The combination of simple histochemical staining and rat skin autograft methods demonstrates the inhibitory effect of estrogen on new collagen formation. The relationship of this hormonal effect to the change of ovarian follicular connective tissue in the process of ovulation is discussed.

The nature and distribution of smooth muscle cells in the ovaries of the cat, rabbit, and human being were investigated by both histochemical and electron microscopic studies. In the human ovary, the typical smooth muscle cells are abundant in both the theca externa of the follicle and the cortical stroma. In the rabbit ovary, smooth muscle cells are concentrated in the cortical stroma rather than in the follicle wall. In the cat ovary, the smooth muscle cells cannot be considered typical. The characteristic features of these cells are discussed, and the possible role of ovarian smooth muscle in the ovulatory mechanism is suggested.