150 



STUDIES ON PATHOLOGIC OVA. 



heart are distended with blood, and the tissues of the 

 body are somewhat infiltrated with round cells. The out- 

 lines of the organs are slightly obscured, and the tissues 

 macerated. The villi are fibrous and largely non-vascular. 

 (6) Decidua absent. 



No. 276. 



(1) Dr. Stanley, Portland, Maine. 



(2) A 70X35X35 mm.; B 13.5 mm. 



(3) Time between the last menstrual period and abor- 

 tion 80 days. 



(4) The walls of the chorion are partly infiltrated with 

 blood, and on one side are closely adherent to a fleshy 

 mass the decidua. 



(5) Sections through these regions show that the decidua 

 contains large blood-sinuses and numerous small ab- 

 scesses. The villi of the chorion are embedded in a mass 

 of blood and covered with a normal amount of syncytium, 

 but in structure they are fibrous and partly devoid of 

 blood-vessels. In addition, they are invaded at numerous 

 points by the syncytium, which forms in them small 

 vesicles lined with two layers of cells, and which are often 

 filled with dense masses of small round cells. These 

 vesicles sometimes communicate with the surface of the 

 villi by means of bands of epithelial cells. The chorion is 

 in apposition to the amnion, but neither is invaded by 

 syncytium. 



The changes within the embryo are equally remarkable. 

 The spinal cord is dilated and dissociated; the medulla is 

 solid, fills the entire head, and protrudes from an opening 

 formed by the destruction of the forepart of the head. 

 In front of this opening the atrophic upper jaw, containing 

 nerves, may be seen, and behind the epidermis it has grown 

 into a small ridge encircling the opening. The outlines 

 of the organs are not sharp, but those of the precartilages 

 are very definite. The blood-vessels are greatly dilated 

 and filled with blood-cells. They are especially well 

 marked along the line from the umbilical cord to the 

 heart. In their immediate neighborhood there is more or 

 less infiltration with round cells. The smaller veins and 

 arteries are still filled with blood. 



(6) Marked infiltration of the decidua; early hydati- 

 form degeneration of chorion. 



No. 285. 



(1) T. W. Keown, Baltimore, Maryland. 



(2) A 45X35X35 mm.; B 8 mm. 



(3) "Last menstruation October 9 to 12; abortion 

 December 20. The specimen came away unbroken, was 

 washed in water, and placed in alcohol. There is reason to 

 believe that conception did not take place until the time 

 for the period which lapsed. The mother insists that this 

 is the case, and inasmuch as all three of her children had 

 diphtheria at that time, this date probably is correct." 



(4) The chorion is mostly bare, with some hemorrhage 

 in its walls. 



(5) The villi that are left are fibrous and contain few 

 blood-vessels. The syncytium over them is very active 

 and at numerous points it is heaped up in small mounds 

 which form depressions, making it appear as if they were 

 about to invade the mesoderm of the villi as well as that 

 of the main wall of the chorion. The amnion fills the 

 entire chorion, which is non-vascular. Between the villi 

 there is a reticular arrangement of blood and mucus in 

 which are found numerous leucocytes. The trophoblast 

 enters this reticular mass at numerous points and makes 

 a very remarkable picture. The embryo has an atrophic 

 head and cord, showing, however, enough structures to 

 fix its age at 4 weeks. The spinal cord is dilated and 

 dissociated, and the brain is solidified, filling the entire 

 head. The eyes are destroyed. The blood-vessels are 

 enormously distended with blood, which also fills the 

 tissues of the body, obscuring them to a great extent. 

 The epidermis is intact. 



(6) Decidua absent. Early hydatiform degeneration. 



No. 311. 



(1) Wm. T. Watson, Baltimore, Maryland. 



(2) A 36X30X30 mm.; B 12.5 mm. 



(4) The wall of the chorion is thin and covered with a 

 few scattered and irregular villi. 



(5) Sections show the villi to be in all stages of degenera- 

 tion, the large ones with blood-vessels and a rich syncy- 

 tium, the small ones, which are fibrous, devoid of syncy- 

 tium and infiltrated with leucocytes. The spaces between 

 them contain considerable blood, and where this comes 

 in contact with an active syncytium the nuclei of the 

 leucocytes are fragmented; elsewhere they are not. Por- 

 tions of the main wall of the chorion are very thin, fibrous, 

 and devoid of epithelial covering. The amnion is in con- 

 tact with the chorion and at many points blended with 

 it. Within the amniotic cavity there is a mass of granular 

 magma which could be seen through the thin walls of 

 the chorion before it was opened. The umbilical cord is 

 enlarged in its middle and very thin at its attachment to 

 the chorion, which also is atrophic at that point. Sections 

 show that the center of the cord is fibrous, and that the 

 enlargement is due to the extreme mucoid degeneration. 

 Near its attachment to the body the cord is infiltrated with 

 round cells, and the intestine within the coclom of the 

 cord is irregular and gorged with them; the lumen of the 

 intestine is destroyed entirely. The embryo is embedded 

 in the granular magma and approximately normal in 

 form. Within, however, most radical changes have taken 

 place. The blood-vessels and heart are distended enor- 

 mously with blood and the tissues are gorged with round 

 cells. Liver, heart, intestine, and mesenchyme are un- 

 dergoing destruction. The preeartilage is more sharply 

 defined than in the normal embryo. The spinal cord is 

 dilated, the brain and eye are nearly solid, and the ear- 

 vesicle is destroyed. The ganglia and nerves are dis- 

 integrating. The epidermis is partially lacking, and in the 

 head region the skin is studded with numerous papil- 

 lomata. The face is adherent to the thorax. 



(6) Decidua absent. Early hydatiform degeneration. 



No. 320. 



(1) E. C. Gibbs, Baltimore, Maryland. 



(2) A 70X50X40 mm.; B 18mm. 



(4) The chorion is fleshy and thick, with irregular spots 

 of villi covering its surface. Some of the villi are fibrous, 

 others are swollen, and all are deficient in syncytium. 

 The decidua is fibrous and well filled with leucocytes. 

 The entire chorion is lined by the amnion, which contains 

 no magma. The umbilical cord is thin at its attachment 

 to the chorion, but swollen in its middle. This swelling, 

 upon microscopic examination, proves to be a vesicle 

 filled with a hyaline, stringy mass tinged with carmine. 

 Otherwise the cord is fibrous, with remnants of blood- 

 vessels in its center. These are practically obliterated. 

 The tissues of the embryo are pretty well dissociated, the 

 cord and brain are nearly solid, with occasional irregular 

 spaces representing the central canal. The outlines of 

 the alimentary canal are obscure, and its epithelial lining 

 is nearly lost. The blood-vessels are distended with 

 blood in an irregular fashion. The liver is necrotic and 

 free from blood. The tissues of the body are all disso- 

 ciated, which condition obscures the muscles and nerves 

 and sharpens the outlines of the cartilages. The epidermis 

 is intact. 



(6) Slight infiltration of the decidua; probably early 

 hydatiform degeneration. 



No. 325. 



(1) E. K. Ballard, Baltimore, Maryland. 



(2) Ovum 55X55X35 mm.; B 13mm. CR. 



(3) "Last menstrual period September 15; abortion 

 November 27. Periods regular. " 



(4) The specimen was clean, well covered with villi, 

 and hardened in formalin. The amnion and coelom are 

 filled with magma rticu!6, in which is embedded the 



