370 THE CORPUS LUTEUM OF DASYUHi^S, 



atreticum." In this paper the term ^^ corpus liifeum'' will be 

 held to indicate the product of the changes which take place in 

 the remaining structures of the Graafian follicle, after the extru- 

 sion and subsequent fertilisation of the ovum, that is, the 

 "corpus luteum veriim " of certain authors. Sobotta and others 

 do not think that the fertilisation of the ovum is necessary, and 

 maintain that the processes are the same, w'hether the ovum be 

 fertilised or not. Walde3^er has lately insisted that the distinc- 

 tion must be given up, and it is probable that the process of 

 corpus luteum formation in Dasyurus ovaries, whose ova are 

 extruded, is the same whether fertilisation takes place or not. 

 The term ^^ corpus luteum falsuru^^ or "■ spurium'^ will, however, 

 for the present be applied as a term of convenience to those 

 corpora lutea formed in ovaries whose ova are not fertilised. 

 The term " corpus luteum atreticum " w^ill here be taken to mean 

 the corpus luteum which forms in an unruptured Graafian follicle 

 — the " atresic follicle" to be described subsequently. Paladino 

 has recently defined "true corpora lutea" as being those structures 

 formed in ruptured follicles, and classified as "false"' those formed 

 in atresic follicles. Beigel is the only author who agrees with 

 him. This is confusing, because the term " corpus luteum 

 spurium " is often applied in man and animals to the corpus 

 luteum which forms when pregnancy does not occur, although 

 the ovum has been extruded. This variety of corpus luteum is 

 distinct from the variety formed in atresic follicles. Plaj-fair 

 says that the difference between " true " and "false" corpora 

 lutea in man is only in degree, whilst Dalton applied the term 

 "false corpus luteum" to atresic corpora lutea sometimes found 

 in human ovaries. In this paper the writer will adhere to the 

 ordinary definitions, as explained above. 



The term " corpus fibrosum " is used by various authors. It 

 will be taken to mean the structure remaining after the degenera- 

 tion of the corpus luteum, although Patenko extends this name 

 to the connective tissue structure, which in some cases obliterates 

 the atresic follicle. 



