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STUDIES ON PATHOLOGIC OVA. 



end is a small pointed body, 3 mm. long, thought to be the 

 remnant of the umbilical cord. This is attached to a part 

 of the chorion which is markedly thickened. 



(5) Sections through the chorion include a hemorrhagic 

 mass about 5 mm. in diameter, and show the amnion 

 greatly hypertrophied, much folded upon itself, and more 

 or less adherent to the chorion. What appeared to be the 

 umbilical cord in the gross specimen is probably only a 

 fold in the amnion. There are few blood-vessels in the 

 chorion and one large epithelium-lined cavity. The villi 

 have undergone mucoid degeneration and in some of them 

 there are numerous Hofbauer cells. Where they come in 

 contact with the blood-clot they are covered with active 

 trophoblast, which not only forms islands, but also streams 

 through the blood-clot. 



(6) Typical hydatiform degeneration. 



No. 651d. 



(1) G. C. McCormick, Sparrows Point, Maryland. 



(2) A 45X25X25 mm. 



(4) The ovum is covered with long, tortuous villi. 

 Within there is much reticular magma and the remnants 

 of a disintegrated embryo. 



(5) The chorionic wall has lost its sharp contour, and 

 there are irregular strands of mesenchyme reaching from 

 it to the cffilom. This tissue comes in contact with a thin 

 membrane which seems to be the disintegrating amnion. 

 The villi have mostly undergone mucoid degeneration, 

 and there are a few clumps of trophoblast. There are also 

 buds of syncytium scattered quite equally throughout the 

 chorion. The villi and exocoelom contain many Hofbauer 

 cells, which are very large, many of them containing several 

 nuclei. 



(6) Early hydatiform degeneration. 



No. 651e. 



(1) G. C. McCormick, Sparrows Point, Maryland. 



(2) A 25X25X20 mm. 



(4) The ovum is covered with regular villi which divide 

 two or three times and measure from 2 to 3 mm. There is 

 much reticular magma within the exoccelom, and within 

 the amnion a layer of granular magma. 



(5) The chorion is fibrous and the villi show mucoid 

 degeneration. The trophoblast is scanty, but proliferating 

 in places, with a stringy mass between the villi, invaded 

 more or less by buds of syncytium. A remnant of the 

 yolk-sac is present. 



(6) Early hydatiform degeneration. 



No. 658. 



(1) Thomas C. Smith, Washington, District of Colum- 

 bia. 



(2) A 30X20X20 mm. 



(3) Patient aged 41 years, married twice; three children 

 by first marriage, none by second. In this case the patient 

 says her menses came on time on March 12. On March 

 24 she had a sharp pain and the specimen dropped from 

 her. 



(4) The smooth vesicle is filled with a jelly-like whitish 

 mass. On one side of the interior there is a transparent 

 mound about 3 mm. in diameter. The chorionic wall is 

 fibrous, covered with a few villi and an inflammatory, 

 rather fibrous decidua. The villi are mostly fibrous, non- 

 vascular, and the trophoblast scanty. Within there is a 

 vesicle embedded in the fibrous amnion. 



(6) Mild infiltration. 



No. 668. 



(1) O. S. Lowsley, Bellevue Hospital, New York. 



(2) A 40X30X20 mm. 



(3) Last period December 26; abortion in March fol- 

 lowing. 



(4) Ragged specimen, to which is attached a transparent 

 vesicle 10 mm. in diameter. The vesicle is attached to a 

 hollow stem which can be traced into the mass, and there 



communicates freely with the amniotic cavity. Within 

 this cavity is an opaque cylindrical body about 3 mm. 

 long, possibly the remnant of an embryo. No doubt the 

 ovum was injured some time before the abortion, causing 

 the amnion to protrude and leaving it attached to the 

 chorion. More careful examination of the specimen did 

 not reveal the presence of an embryo. 



(5) Sections were cut through the chorion, but did not 

 include the amnion. The chorion is degenerate and the 

 villi large and swollen, most of them having undergone 

 mucoid degeneration, which is very complete in some cases. 

 They are matted together by blood, inflammatory exudate, 

 trophoblast, and many buds of syncytium, and contain 

 large Hofbauer cells. Marked leucoeytic accumulations 

 are found at the periphery. Decidua is not included in the 

 sections. 



(6) Hydatiform degeneration. Decidua absent. 



No. 682. 



(1) G. H. Hocking, Govans, Maryland. 



(2) Chorion with amnion. 



(3) The woman had been married 18 years and had 

 eight consecutive births at term, followed by this abortion. 

 Syphilis suspected, but a Wassermann test gives a negative 

 reaction. 



(4) The specimen consists of large pieces of decidua and 

 an ovum with a layer of ragged vilG which are more or less 

 bound together by blood-clots and fibrinoid. The mass 

 measured in formalin 45X30X30 mm. Upon further 

 dissection it proved to be a collapsed ovum lined with 

 smooth membrane, which does not contain an embryo. 

 The amnion is easily detached from the chorion, and the 

 remnants of the umbilical cord can be seen. However, 

 the specimen appears to be an ovum from which the em- 

 bryo has escaped. 



(5) The chorionic wall is somewhat fibrous, and over it 

 there are degenerating matted yilli. The encircling layer 

 is composed mostly of fibrinoid substance and a small 

 amount of decidua, which shows some general and con- 

 siderable local infiltration. There is some active tropho- 

 blast where the villi come into contact with fresh blood. 



(6) Mild infiltration. 



No. 689. 



(1) Robert B. Slocum, Wilmington, North Carolina. 



(2) A 32X28X20 mm. 



(3) Patient aged 22 years; married slightly less than a 

 year. The last menstrual period was March 12 to 18, 

 abortion following on May 22. Said to be caused by an 

 automobile accident 2 days before. 



(4) The ovum is spherical, measuring 32X28X20 mm. 

 It is well covered with villi, some of which are larger than 

 others, showing marked swellings at their tips. At one 

 pole over 1 cm. square, the villi are scanty and poorly devel- 

 oped. Judging externally, the specimen appears to be 

 abnormal. The clear area of the chorion was then re- 

 moved, and it was found that the coelom was filled with a 

 very dense reticular magma. Within are opaque granules, 

 one of which is about 1 mm. in diameter. Upon removing 

 most of the magma a nodule, about 2 mm. long and evi- 

 dently representing the embryo, was found near that 

 portion of the wall of the chorion where the villi were best 

 developed. On examination of the specimen in this way 

 it was found that a portion of the magma was glassy in 

 appearance and fell out easily, while the remaining part 

 was fibrillar, the fibrils radiating toward the embryo. 



(5) The entire chorion was cut into serial sections, 

 those containing the nodule being mounted. There are 

 no blood-vessels in the chorionic wall, and the villi ap- 

 pear edematous, with a scanty amount of trophoblast. 

 There are numerous buds of syncytium. The amnion 

 is sharply denned, well folded upon itself, and attached 

 to the chorion at one point, but contains no embryo. 

 There is, however, an umbilical vesicle the nodule 

 which is nearly disintegrated. Its blood-islands are small, 



