490 Edwin G. Kirk. 
All the epithelial cells, both ridge and gland, with the exception 
of those of the pars oesophagea, present at the first appearance of 
the glands, the same type of cytoplasm,—highly refractile 
from the inclusion of a very fine, closely set, slightly acidophile 
granulation. These embryonic gland cells do not all remain 
undifferentiated very long after the appearance of the gland anla- 
gen. At 3 ecm. some of the glands of the stage of fig. 3 or. even 
slightly earlier, situated in the fundus, along the greater curve, 
display one or two cells, which have acquired a cytoplasmic 
granulation somewhat coarser than that of the primitive cells, 
and very highly eosinophile. These cells are at first of the same 
size and contour as the others (figs. 4 and 9) but they soon enlarge 
somewhat, the basal end becoming broader and rounded, while 
the distal end narrows, often becoming caudate (fig. 2). Later, 
the narrow distal end is lost (retracted?), but at all times, up to 
24 em. the cells reach the surface (fig. 8, etc.). The nucleus, at 
first ovoid, later rounds up, and approaches the spheroid form. 
These cells are the earliest parietals. Even at their first appear- 
ance, one often finds, in relation to them, minute intercellular 
ductules, always continuous with the lumen of the gland, or, in 
the more shallow glands, opening directly into the stomach 
lumen (figs. 2, 4,5). These pass down between the parietal and 
the adjacent primitive cells. The almost absolute constancy 
with which these early parietals display the ductules is striking. 
As already intimated, parietals sometimes appear in insinkings 
so slight that they seem almost to have differentiated in level 
epithelium. This occasionally occurs as late as 7-8 em. (fig. 9) 
in small patches of epithelium which remain almost level in the 
midst of active gland formation on all sides, as also in the ex- 
treme cardia at a stage when the glands are just appearing. 
Nevertheless, even these parietals are probably always situated 
within the territory of a gland-to-be, for after the 10 cm. stage, 
parietals are found only in bona fide glands, and no primary 
gland-pits appear later than this stage. Transitional forms be- 
tween embryonic gland cells and parietals are also found, their 
cytoplasmic granules being intermediate in size aud avidity 
for acid stain. ‘These occur not only in the early stages, but even 
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