NOTES ON STRUCTURE, ETC., OF ELEPHANT’S PLACENTA. 5 
length, and the extreme breadth being 5 inches in each; 
the connecting isthmus is 3 inches in breadth.’ Chapman 
finds that “the piacenta preserves the same average width 
all round; there is no constriction dividing it into ‘two 
moieties’ described by Professor Owen.” 
He also notes another difference, namely, that “ the villous 
processes are as well developed at the edges of the placenta 
as in the middle.” In our specimen the belt was divided by 
two double constrictions into three chief areas, which were 
approximately 10 inches in width. 
Like Chapman’s specimen the whole area was villous and 
“somewhat broken up into cotyledons as one finds in the 
human placenta” (Stevens, v. Beddard, 2). 
Through the kindness of Professor Stewart we have been 
able to examine the historic placenta described by Owen and 
Turner which is now in the Museum of the Royal College of 
Surgeons. 
We find the specimen exactly as described by Owen, with 
its three points of attachment, the zonary belt and the two 
villous patches, near the poles. These latter are quite 
obvious though the villi are short, none exceeding 2 mm. 
in length. 
There is one point which we should like to add to Owen’s 
description. 
On page 348 he writes: “ A thin brown deciduous layer is 
continued from the borders of the placenta, from a distance 
varying from 1—8 inches, upon the outer surface of the 
chorion.” . 
Chapman says of this in his specimen: “ On each side of the 
placenta there is an indistinct brownish granular layer four 
inches in width and about a line thick, which runs parallel 
with the whole circumference of the placenta, and in some 
places even overlaps it slightly. This same granular matter 
was found even scattered over the surface of the placenta 
and was easily rubbed off with the fingers.” He suspects 
it is of maternal origin. 
This is present in Owen’s; but what we want to draw 
