364 



THE CORPUS LUTEUM OF DASVURUS VIVERRIXUS, 

 WITH OBSERVATIONS ON THE GROWTH AND 

 ATROPHY OF THE GRAAFIAN FOLLICLE. 



By F. p. Sandes, M.D., Ch.M. (Syd.). 



( Coimnunicated by Professor J. T. Wilson, Jf.Jj., Ch.M.), 



(Plates vi.-xx.) 



Introduction. 



For the past seventy-five years the exact mode of origin of the 

 structure kno\vn as "Corpus Luteum'' has been the subject of 

 dispute. The series of changes which take place in the wall of 

 of the evacuated Graafian follicle and result in the formation of 

 the corpus luteum has been studied in different animals with 

 varying degrees of completeness. Considerable uniformity under- 

 lies the process in those animals in which this particular question 

 has been studied, but different significances have been attached 

 by different observers to a series of changes essentially similar. 

 Briefly, it may be stated that some maintain that the corpus 

 luteum originates from the membrana granulosa of the Graafian 



follicle, vv'hilst others refer its origin to the wall of the follicle or 

 theca folliculi. The writer of this paper has attempted to throw 

 light upon the subject by observing the growth of the corpus 

 luteum in the ovary of a small marsupial found in abundance in 

 various parts of Australia, namel}^, the Native Cat {Dasyurvs 

 viverrinus). So far as he is aware, this has not been previously 

 done systematically, though isolated contributions have been 

 made to the literature of the marsupial ovary. 



This paper was originally submitted as a thesis for the degree 

 of Doctor of Medicine of the University of Sydney, and the 

 author begs to express his thanks to the Senate of the University 

 for permission to publish the results of his investigation. 



