Surgery – Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material – Receptacle attached to or inserted within body to receive...
Patent
1996-05-20
1997-11-11
Weiss, John G.
Surgery
Means and methods for collecting body fluids or waste material
Receptacle attached to or inserted within body to receive...
A61F 544
Patent
active
056858710
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a U.S. National Phase of PCT/FI94/00357 filed Aug. 18, 1994.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an apparatus for collecting semen to be used in animal breeding, which apparatus comprises a collector funnel curving mainly downwardly from the horizontal to the vertical and at the same time narrowing, the apparatus having a semen-receiving opening at its upper end and a discharge opening for the semen at its lower end. The collector funnel can be fitted between an artificial vagina and a semen-receiving unit so as to conduct the semen passing through the artificial vagina to the receiving unit.
It is known from horse breeding studies that the stallion ejaculates in pulses and that the first fractions of the semen contain sperms and the rest only seminal plasma. In modern animal breeding, therefore, the so called open method is used for collecting semen, in which from the semen discharged during the ejaculation only the fractions having a high content of sperms are collected. The collecting of semen is performed by means of an artificial vagina attached to a dummy horse. From the artificial vagina the semen fractions are conducted, for instance by means of an ordinary funnel, to receivers or bags for the various fractions.
The semen collected by the open method is as such microbiologically and bacteriologically clean, and no screening or centrifuging is needed, if the right fraction of the semen is collected. Treatment of the semen, which is sensitive to light and air, for separating a good fraction from a fraction which has been badly collected would not be advantageous as regards the final result.
When collecting semen during the forceful ejaculation, some of the semen may splash out of the funnel and some of it will adhere to the walls of the funnel and does not flow into the receivers as desired. Thus, the best part of the semen as regards the artificial insemination may not be collected or can flow into the wrong receiver.
A further disadvantage of the open method of collecting semen is that some of the collected semen will already be destroyed in the initial phase when the sperms impinge with great force on the wall of the funnel. It has been proven by studies that the cellular structure of the sperms have been damaged, which directly influences the genome.
Another problem as regards keeping the semen fit for artificial insemination is caused by the fact that the sperms-containing semen having a temperature of 37.degree. C. hits the inner surface of the funnel having a much lower temperature. The temperature difference may be more than 20.degree. C., which results in a so called cold shock phenomenon. Due to this the metabolism of the sperms decrease, the swimming pattern changes and above all their mobility diminishes.
Besides the temperature difference between the semen and the funnel there may be areas having different temperatures in the funnel, which results in the fact that the viscosity of the semen varies at various points of the funnel and the flow of the semen from the funnel into the receiver may in some parts be retarded. The poorest semen, which has been discharged at the end of the ejaculation and does not contain any sperms, may then overtake semen of the best quality, which has been discharged earlier, whereby the sequence of the fractions flowing down changes and the received fractions do not fulfill the requirements as regards the content of sperms.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus in which the problems mentioned above are minimized.
It is a specific object to provide an apparatus by means of which the best fractions of the semen can be collected reliably and as well as possible, without weakening the quality of the semen.
The above objects of the inventions are attained by an apparatus according to the invention having the characteristic features set forth in the appended claims.
By means of the apparatus according to the invention, the semen of the animal is collected so th
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Lane Manufacturing Inc., "Colorado Model Equine Artificial Vagina", 1982.
Cho David J.
Haico Oy
Weiss John G.
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