FATE OF GERMINAL EPITHELIUM. 137 



smaller and its base has a somewhat glassy appearance, whereas 

 the normal epididymis is milky white throughout. The contents 

 as seen in cross section of the distal portion are very similar to 

 those of the normal epididymis, and are distinguished by a few 

 more round cells than are to be found in the normal. Toward 

 the base of the epididymis the number of round epithelial cells 

 is seen to increase, and along with these a considerable amount 

 of degenerating debris all intimately mixed with varying amounts 

 of spermatozoa. These germinal epithelial cells, in various 

 stages of degeneration, have been carried over from the testis 

 as a result of the liberation of these elements from the germinal 

 epithelium through abdominal retention. Spermatozoa in the 

 distal portion of the ductus epididymis and the vas deferens 

 were similar to those of normal testes. 



As it is important to know the effect of abdominal retention 

 on the spermatozoa contained in the epididymis at the time of 

 its removal from the scrotum, stained smears from the epididymis 

 and vas deferens have been prepared in all cases after abdominal 

 retention. Physiological saline has also been added to freshly 

 expressed material from these localities in order to determine 

 the duration of motility of spermatozoa. Mallory's triple stain 

 has proven especially valuable here, as the head caps stain blue 

 while the rest of the sperm body is stained red. Smears from 

 the epididymis of a six-day abdominal testis show the sperm to 

 be morphologically normal, and occurring in clusters as described 

 above. On addition of saline the spermatozoa were seen to be 

 as motile as the normal, moving about in the characteristic 

 clusters, showing that as far as one can detect, the spermatozoa 

 contained within the epididymis are in no way effected by the 

 abdominal retention of six days. 



Epididymis of Eight Days Retention. A testis retained in the 

 abdomen for eight days shows the base of the epididymis slightly 

 glassy in appearance. In section the distal portion of the 

 ductus epididymis was seen to contain an abundance of sperm, 

 while in the proximal portion of this tubule degenerating elements 

 predominate. For the most part the ductuli efferentes contain 

 no cellular elements, being filled with a homogeneous liquid 

 which stains faintly. In certain areas of the ep.didymis, and 



