SECRETORY FUNCTIONS IN HUMAN PLACENTA 555 



ception of Asada, who has quite recently demonstrated the ex- 

 istence of fat within the cells concerned, and inferred only that 

 this fat is not a degeneration product and must have some rela- 

 tion to the functions of the mucous membrane. However, ac- 

 cording to my observations mentioned above, it is easy to clearl}' 

 recognize that, according to their structure, these cells also 

 have secreting functions as in the case of the ordinary decidual 

 cells. And, looked at from the histological view-point, I do not 

 hesitiate conclusively to pronounce that this function declines 

 and terminates immediately upon the beginning of the menses. 

 From want of suitable materials on hand, I am not able to make 

 a definite statement as to what destiny should befall these cells; 

 however, I quite agree with the observations of other inves- 

 tigators in that they suddenly diminish and perish with the 

 arrival of the menses. And, since it is doubtless true that the 

 secretions of these cells are absorbed in the mother's 

 body, it should be a matter of special interest to consider the 

 several clinical symptoms which present themselves fre- 

 quently at menstruation, in the light of this fact for the expla- 

 nation of their causative relations. On the contrary, the changes 

 of the uterine glandular epithelium, if compared at the time of 

 pregnancy are remarkably small, and as we can easily assert 

 that its secretions are thrown out of the body, there is certainly 

 no need for argument that it is impracticable to attach an 

 internal secretory significance to the glandular cells; there- 

 fore, I am inclined to believe that this sort of periodic changes 

 of glandular epithelium should be recongized as a mere prelim- 

 inary behavior which is antecedent to pregnancy, and that by 

 far the greater significance, rather theoretically than function- 

 ally, should be attached to it. 



CONCLUSION 



1. The epithelium and stroma cells of villi, decidual cells, 

 and uterine glandular cells, all of which constitute the chief 

 tissue elements of the placenta and decidua, if subjected to the 

 closest cytological investigations, show within the cell bodies, 

 and common to them all, the formative constituents, such as 



