138 ON THE CORPUS LUTEUM. 



If Huschke's pretty idea should prove to be well founded, I see no escape from the 

 attribution of this reproductive quality to the spermatic nerve. Iiuschke supposes that 

 each Graafian follicle is a cast-off' acinus of the stroma, carrying away in its fall an 

 endowment of vital force rendered complete by fecundation. 



But, without discussing the question of the aciniferous nature of the stroma, the same 

 attribution of the nerve power is true, even under the hypothesis of an independent cell- 

 life — for a reproductive cell could not exist but for the vitellary cytoblastem provided 

 by the stroma, which is a vitelliferous tissue, and only that. Nothing else is so. The 

 nature of the cytoblastem must determine the differences of cells. The cell of an oak 

 germ is not the cell of a cabbage germ. 



But the whole office of an ovary is to produce or prepare germs — it is germiferous; 

 and it is so by its power to form vitellary matter. No other combination or arrangement 

 of animal materials can produce yelk or vitellus. 



The complete germ is contained within a vitellary membrane — which is the boundary 

 of the yelk. In the mammals this yelk is microscopic. In the ostrich and the cassowary 

 it is a very large ball, as it is in some of the larger ophidians, as in the coluber boa> 

 formis, &c. 



The matured germ contained within a yelk is spontaneously and periodically extruded 

 from the ovary, in order that it may be fairly exposed to the contact of the male fecun- 

 dative element — which should be deemed impossible while it is buried within the recesses 

 of the ovarium, covered by the double tunic of the follicle, and beneath both the fibrous 

 and peritoneal indusium of the organ. 



To effect this extrusion, this spontaneous oviposit, the inner concentric spherule of the 

 follicle is compressed, by the deposition on its external convex surface, of yelk grains, cor- 

 puscles, oil-globules, punctiform bodies, and pellucid fluid — which gives to the concave 

 surface of the cell an appearance of corrugations or convolutions like those of the brain, 

 and which, as they daily increase by the continued deposit of yelk matter on the ex- 

 terior, constantly reduces the size of the interior dimensions of the follicle, urging its con- 

 tents towards the least resisting point of the surface of the ovary, until, at length the pomle 

 being opened, the ovulum escapes into the fimbria, or falls with the peritoneal sac, 

 according to circumstances. 



After the escape of the ovulum, the yelk-producing force is not exhausted immediately, 

 in all cases; hence the growth of the corpus luteum continues. 



It is a periodical exacerbation that matures and bursts the Graafian cell. When the 

 process of completing a germ and expelling it has been finished, the exacerbation ceases 

 sooner or later, and a new periodical exacerbation of this strange life force — or germ-pro- 

 ducing force — is devoted to the maturation and spontaneous oviposit of another ovulum, 

 and so on in succession, during the menstruating life of the woman; at every successive 

 pairing season of birds; and at the annual rutting time of the more considerable mam- 

 mals, and with all the migratory fishes. 



It surprises me to see that many able and distinguished writers still cling to the anti- 

 quated notions as to the ovaric fecundation, which M. Pouchet has shown to be an 



