FATE OF GERMINAL EPITHELIUM. 



lumen in most cases is filled with a mass of cells and debris, 

 obviously in a state of parenchymatous degeneration. The 

 intact cells are swollen and granular, and edges varying from 

 perfectly smooth to a very irregular outline, and the nuclei 

 likewise lose their identity; some of the latter appear eccentric, 

 others fragmented, while in some of the degenerate masses no 

 evidence of nuclei are to be seen. Of the degenerating cells in 

 this central mass spermatids are most abundant, although many 

 spermatogonia and spermatozoa may be seen. The latter, 

 though least altered morphologically are most atypical in their 

 position. Tufts of spermatozoa which normally border on or 

 near the lumen are sometimes seen with their head almost 

 touching the basement membrane of the tubule. Some of these 

 masses are straight while others are adherent to the periphery 

 of spheroidal masses of granular material. The other cellular 

 elements have a tendency to coalesce and groups resembling 

 typical giant cells of the myeloid type may be seen. The most 

 common characteristic throughout all the tubules is the presence 

 of large clear vacuoles in the germinal epithelium. These are 

 most abundant near the periphery of the tubules, although they 

 may be present in any portion of the cross section. Within 

 some of these vacuoles fragments of more or less completely 

 autolyzed cells are seen. There is little doubt that these vacuolar 

 cavities represent areas of degeneration and liquefaction of 

 epithelial cells. 



We see therefore that a normal adult guinea pig testis removed 

 from the scrotum to the abdominal cavity is decidedly degenerate 

 at the end of six days. Six days after operation is the earliest 

 stage studied, but it is apparent that the effects could have been 

 noted at least one, or possibly two days earlier. In a given 

 cross section of the entire testis, approximately 95 per cent, of 

 the tubules are atypical, the remainder approximating the normal. 

 In the most pronounced degeneration the germinal epithelium 

 is so radically affected that it is in complete disorganization, 

 and the lumen of the tubule may be all but obliterated by whole 

 and fragmented cells from the epithelium. 



Ten-day Cryptorchid Testes. A testis retained in the abdomen 

 for ten days is slightly smaller than the normal; this is clearly 



