Alytes obstetricans
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
Alytes obstetricans, known as the midwife toad, is a tailless amphibian whose male carries the egg strings wrapped around his thighs until they hatch in water. The species served as the subject for Kammerer's experiments on altering reproductive instincts under the influence of temperature and prolonged water exposure.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
ALYTES OBSTETRICANS, midwife toad, an amphibian of the order of tailless amphibians, family of discoglossum toads. The male wraps the egg strings around his thighs in a figure-eight shape and burrows into the ground; on the 11th-12th day, he returns to the water, where tadpoles hatch from the eggs. Alytes obstetricans served Kammerer (see) as a subject for experiments on altering the instinct of egg-laying under the influence of high temperature and a more prolonged stay in water.
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“Alytes obstetricans.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/alytes-obstetricans/