146 WALTER LAWRENCE. 



killed, and in the case of the second, operated as above, the left 

 internal spermatic vein was also successfully occluded and here 

 also a condition similar to the one just described was found. 

 Many of the seminiferous tubules contained spermatozoa 

 atypically arranged as were the other contents, with the whole 

 staining poorly. 



In the case where the vein of the ductuli deferentes were 

 ligated a new venous return was well established along the vas, 

 and the testes were in full spermatogenic activity. 



These observations indicate that although the hyperemic state 

 may be closely coupled with the process of degeneration it is 

 certainly not the causative factor. It would be admissable to 

 suppose that the hyperemia is the result of the degenerative 

 changes, wherein the autolyzed products are more rapidly taken 

 up by the blood stream. It was noticed repeatedly that leuco- 

 cytes were abundantly distributed throughout the intertubular 

 spaces, and in many instances they were present in large numbers 

 in the tubules of the epididymis. They are here doubtless 

 concerned with the phagocytic function, and the degenerating 

 epithelium which has been liberated from the seminiferous 

 tubules are in effect foreign proteins which have perhaps stimu- 

 lated this phagocytosis. 



E. DISCUSSION. 



This work was undertaken to determine if possible, just how 

 the germinal epithelium which is desquamated from the seminif- 

 erous tubules in artifically cryptorchid testes is disposed of, 

 and incidentally to ascertain something concerning the relative 

 resistance of the various cells of the germinal epithelium to the 

 degenerative process. 



As to the effect of abdominal retention upon the sexually 

 mature male testis I have but to confirm the findings of Moore 

 ably described in recent articles. The organ is effected in such 

 a way as to cause the cessation of all spermatogenic activity by 

 the end of six days; at twenty days abdominal retention the 

 seminiferous tubules have been almost completely denuded of 

 their germinal epithelium, and succeeding changes relate chiefly 

 to the size of the testis, the diameter of the tubules, and the 



