352 MINOT. [Vor. II. 
glands are oval slits parallel with the muscularis, Fig. 5, ¢7 <A 
little further along, the resorptive vacuolization begins, producing 
a curious irregular layer, Fig. 5. The degeneration and vacuo- 
lization is found still further along to have involved the inner 
adjacent wall of the gland vesicles, thus producing the appear- 
ances shown in the left-hand part of Fig. 5, where there are 
shallow cups, g/, of epithelium, each entirely separate from its 
fellows, and all overlaid by the hyaline stratum, /.ef. There is 
usually a dome-like hollow in the degenerated stratum above 
each cup. Since the processes described vary in rapidity, there 
is not a uniform, but only a general, progression of stages towards 
the centre of the ob-placental region. Moreover, the variability 
is great, and the images from different sections and different 
parts of the same section are correspondingly multifarious, but 
the general succession of changes is everywhere the same; hence 
it would be profitless to expand the descriptions. 
The placental glands have preserved their tubular character; 
they are less degenerated than the uterine glands of the non- 
placental parts; their walls are less thickened and in most parts 
the glandular cavity is still present. The deep portion of the 
glands are tubes lined by columnar epithelium. For the rest, I 
may refer to the satisfactory description of Masquelin and Swaen, 
114, 30-31, except as to one point.’ As shown in Cut 1, p. 355, the 
ectoderm of the embryo is firmly soldered to the placental surface 
over certain. areas. The nature of this connection and the accom- 
panying structural changes in the uterus are illustrated in Fig. 7, 
which has been copied with great care from one of the sections. 
For the sake of clearness, only the nuclei of the connective tissue 
have been drawn in; the perivascular cells are represented by 
their nuclei and outlines, and the nuclei and cells of the foetal 
ectederm are given in outline; but there is nothing diagrammatic 
in the drawing; of course in the figure the distinction between 
the foetal and maternal tissues is more marked, though not more 
real than in the section; in fact there is scarcely a cell even on 
the line of junction of the ectoderm with the uterus about the 
assignment of which one could have any doubt, so distinct is the 
texture and the staining of the foetal and maternal tissues. 
This is a matter of importance, as it renders it possible to ascer- 
tain beyond question that there are no villi; nevertheless their 
presence has been assumed not infrequently. To pass on: 
