126 



STUDIES ON PATHOLOGIC OVA. 



No. 25. 



(1) J. W. Lord, Baltimore, Maryland. 



(2) A 25X25X25 mm., with pedicle 6 mm. 



(4) The ovum is covered entirely with long villi, and 

 one side of it is hemorrhagic. The pedicle within 

 shows all the characteristics of the umbilical cord of an 

 embryo 5 weeks old. No trace of an embryo, however, 

 could be found, but at the free end of the pedicle, which 

 has very ragged edges, are a number of cells. The amnion 

 lines the entire ccelom and is reflected over the pedicle, 

 just as it would be over a normal cord. 



(5) Sections show that the club-shaped, cylindrical 

 body is in fact the cord with its blood-vessels and amnion 

 The free end of the cord is rich in round cells, appearing 

 much like the granulation tissue of healing wounds. At 

 this point the end of the cord is infiltrated with cells, in 

 addition to the nucleated cells of the cord. It appears 

 as if the embryo had gradually fallen off, piece by piece, 

 leaving the ragged stump of a cord, the blood-vessels of 

 which are but sparsely filled with blood. At the base of 

 the cord there is a remnant of the umbilical duct. The 

 chorion apparently is normal, but macerated. 



No. 32. 



(1) W. D. Booker, Baltimore, Maryland. 



(2) Ovum 30X30X30 mm.; within is a pedicle 

 9X2 mm. 



(3) Patient is a colored woman. Last menstruation 

 began December 26 and lasted 4 days, the usual duration 

 being from 4 to 5 days. Cohabitation with husband 

 December 12 and January 9. Hemorrhage began March 

 14 and continued until tlie 18th, when the abortion took 

 place. Time between beginning of last period and the 

 abortion, 82 days. 



(4) Within the ovum was a large pedicle 9X2 mm., 

 which had every appearance of the normal umbilical cord 

 of an embryo 25 mm. long. The age of the ovum, as 

 estimated by the menstrual history, calls for a cord of 

 this size, but the chorion is undersized. 



(5) There was no embryo, but at the point where the 

 cord should be attached to the body is a mass of cells, 

 making it appear as though the embryo had sloughed 

 away. At this point the blood-vessels are greatly dis- 

 tended with blood, which permeates also into the sur- 

 rounding tissues. Within the cord is a large as well as a 

 smaller space. The mesoderm of the chorion and villi is 

 fibrous and the chorion thickened. The stroma of many 

 of the villi is decidedly dense, suggesting "granular 

 hyperplasia. " The vessels are degenerate or altogether 

 absent. 



No. 37. 



(1) G. M. Gould, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 



(2) A 25X18X15 mm. 



(4) The entire ovum is covered with villi which appear 

 normal in form, both to the naked eye and under the 

 microscope. 



(5) The specimen was macerated considerably, but the 

 thick sections made of it are extremely instructive. The 

 embryonic mass within proved to be an atrophic cord, 

 embryo and umbilical vesicle. The cord with its blood- 

 vessels passes directly over into the head end of the em- 

 bryo, which contains but a rudimentary nervous system. 

 The mesodermal tissues are characteristic and the form 

 of the pharynx and the lower jaw is recognizable. From 

 this region two branchial arteries pass into the cord. A 

 single vein, however, extends from the cord directly into 

 the center of the body and ends just below the lower jaw. 

 There is no heart, liver, myotomes, or lower end of the 

 body, these being replaced by the cord. The arteries are 

 empty and the vein is distended with blood. 



No. 58. 



(1) W. Howard, Cleveland, Ohio. 



(2) A 20X15X12 mm. 



(3) The specimen was from the first pregnancy of a 

 woman who has been married one year. The duration of 



the menstrual period was usually 3 to 4 days, the last one 

 having ended July 25. The August and September periods 

 were passed, and September 30 she had a hemorrhage 

 which she believed to be the usual menstruation; this 

 ended October 1 with abortion of the ovum. The time 

 between the beginning of the last period and the abortion 

 is 71 days. Cohabitation July 25 to August 5, and again 

 on August 15, or several days before the first period lapsed. 



(4) The ovum was only partly covered with villi and 

 filled with a jelly-like mass of magma. Floating within 

 this mass was a large vesicle, 6 mm. in diameter, with 

 transparent walls. This vesicle in turn was partly filled 

 with granular magma. 



(5) The trophoblast is excessive. The mesoderm of the 

 chorion and inclosed vesicle is very fibrous. There are 

 blood-islands and a cavity lined with epithelium in the 

 stem of the vesicle. The main portion of the vesicle is 

 composed of two layers, but near the stem three layers are 

 present. The mesoderm of the villi is hyaline and edema- 

 tous, and between them is a stringy mass of fibrin, rich in 

 leucocytes. Some of the villi have coalesced and the 

 stroma of others suggests "granular hyperplasia." The 

 amnion is very much larger than the embryo. Both 

 chorion and amnion show some maceration. The embry- 

 onic mass at the base of the amnion is well preserved and 

 contains blood-cells and a small cavity. 



No. 78. 



(1) A. P. Stoner, Harlan, Iowa. 



(2) A 36X33X13 mm.; B 1 mm. 



(3) Last menstrual period December 1; abortion took 

 place February 26 following. The sac was perfectly 

 smooth when passed. After the abortion two or three 

 pieces of decidua and placenta were passed, weighing 

 together about 30 grams, the right quantity, it seemed, for 

 a 10-weeks' ovum. The woman's husband had been 

 absent for over 10 weeks, making the specimen at least 

 that old. It appears as if there had been an arrest of 

 development of the embryo and that the membranes con- 

 tinued to grow. 



(4) When the specimen came to the laboratory the walls 

 were perfectly smooth, without any villi whatever. The 

 cavity was filled with a clear fluid, and within this was 

 attached a small double vesicle, measuring 1X0.6 mm. 

 This was embedded and cut in serial sections. 



(5) The nodule within is covered with a single layer of 

 epithelial cells which become thickened over the pedicle. 

 At one point the thickening is greatly increased, and 

 immediately below it there are two small vesicles lined 

 with epithelial cells. The main cavity of the vesicle is 

 lined with a layer of cubical cells, and is filled with a con- 

 siderable quantity of round cells. This cavity is hour- 

 glass in shape and extends to the walls of the chorion. 

 The mesoderm of the vesicle is increased in quantity. At 

 the base are several blood-spaces filled with blood. The 

 chorionic membrane is absent, which accounts for the 

 smooth nature of the specimen; but a few detached, 

 degenerated villi are present. 



No. 111. 



(1) Dr. Gray, Washington, District of Columbia. 



(2) B 3 mm. long. 



(5) Specimen is a greatly dissociated embryo, in which 

 there are two very large cavities and a remnant of the 

 central nervous system, entirely filled with cells. The 

 amnion is present in some of the sections, but in all of 

 them the chorion is absent. No decidua accompanies 

 the embryo. 



No. 134. 



(1) G. N. Sommer, Trenton, New Jersey. 



(2) Ovum 17X11 mm., with compressed vesicle measur- 

 ing in sections 9x3 mm. 



(3) A number of sections of this unique specimen were 

 received from Dr. Sommer with the statement that the 

 ovum had been passed by a young multipara, after con- 



