PHYSIOLOGICAL PROPEETIES OF GONADS . 137 



IV. GENERAL HISTOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS 

 A. The ovary 



Before proceeding to a detailed consideration of the individual 

 grafts (section V), it will be necessary to mention a few general 

 features of the histology of the grafts in order that the writer's 

 view-point may not be misunderstood. 



The subcutaneous grafts were usually quite prominent after 

 the skin of the animal had been removed, and in many cases 

 they could be distinctly palpated before death. Those placed 

 in the intraperitoneal position were usually visible when this 

 cavity had been opened, for they ordinarily project slightly into 

 the cavity, being surrounded and encapsulated by connective 

 tissue. Differences in the types of implantation are associated 

 with the site of the original graft and the condition of the tissue 

 when the graft was made. Figure 1 (a section of a five-month 

 graft from animal 40-4A2B2 IV) indicates one type of implanta- 

 tion. This was a subcutaneous graft resting upon the external 

 oblique muscle, and at the time of transplantation the small 

 peritoneal sac surrounding the ovary was carried along with this 

 part of the ovary in such a way that it has been retained. In 

 such cases of retention the cortex of the ovary is protected from 

 other tissues surrounding it and it remains in a typical condition, 

 but if the cortex comes in contact with surrounding tissue the 

 substance of the ovary grades almost imperceptibly into the 

 encapsulating tissues and does not retain the definite covering 

 of the ovary. A section of the oviduct accompanies this graft. 



There has been no attempt made to determine the amount of 

 growth in any separate graft, for at the time of operation the 

 graft material was prepared by cutting the young ovary into 

 two pieces with scissors, and these pieces were many times of 

 unequal size at the beginning. Furthermore, one of the pieces 

 may consist of but little else than oviduct,*^ while the other con- 

 sists principally of the gland itself, and in view of this fact some 

 of the grafts recovered from the sites of implantation show 



^ No attempt was made to remove the oviduct, fimbria, or peritoneal covering 

 of the ovary at the time of transplantation. 



