﻿334 
  FRANCIS 
  H. 
  A. 
  MARSHALL. 
  

  

  got 
  rid 
  of, 
  or 
  at 
  any 
  rate 
  have 
  passed 
  into 
  tlie 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  

   the 
  uteriue 
  cavity. 
  Pieces 
  of 
  mucosa^ 
  accompanied 
  by 
  cor- 
  

   puscles 
  and 
  mucus, 
  can, 
  however, 
  still 
  be 
  seen 
  lying 
  free 
  in 
  

   the 
  cavity. 
  A 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  section, 
  more 
  highly 
  

   magnified, 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  fig. 
  11 
  (PI. 
  21), 
  where 
  isolated 
  epi- 
  

   thelial 
  cells, 
  in 
  a 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  degenerate 
  condition, 
  can 
  be 
  

   detected 
  among 
  the 
  denuded 
  fragments. 
  In 
  tlie 
  mucosa 
  

   forming 
  the 
  uterine 
  wall 
  it 
  is 
  seen 
  that 
  considerable 
  tracts 
  of 
  

   tissue 
  have 
  been 
  stripped 
  of 
  the 
  lining 
  epithelium, 
  while 
  in 
  

   some 
  places 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  underlying 
  stroma 
  also 
  appear 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  removed. 
  Extravasated 
  corpuscles 
  are 
  still 
  seen 
  

   in 
  the 
  mucosa, 
  but 
  not 
  in 
  any 
  considerable 
  quantity. 
  In 
  

   some 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  section 
  there 
  are 
  ali"eady 
  indications 
  of 
  

   recuperation 
  having 
  set 
  in. 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  disposed 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  not 
  inconsiderable 
  

   amount 
  of 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  severity 
  of 
  the 
  pro-oestrous 
  

   phenomena 
  of 
  the 
  ferret, 
  and 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  above 
  described 
  

   the 
  denudation 
  of 
  tissue 
  was 
  exceptional. 
  This 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  

   example 
  of 
  a 
  ferret 
  killed 
  during 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  degeneration 
  

   which 
  showed 
  indications 
  of 
  a 
  definite 
  removal 
  of 
  stroma, 
  

   although 
  a 
  comparison 
  between 
  the 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  uterine 
  

   wall 
  (and, 
  conversely, 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  uterine 
  cavity) 
  in 
  

   animals 
  at 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  recuperation 
  stage 
  and 
  during 
  

   the 
  period 
  of 
  rest 
  also 
  points 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  destruc- 
  

   tion 
  is 
  not 
  always 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  epithelium. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  

   the 
  sheep 
  I 
  found 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  severity 
  of 
  the 
  process 
  

   tended 
  to 
  diminish 
  with 
  each 
  successive 
  dioestrous 
  cycle 
  in 
  

   the 
  breeding 
  season, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  unlikely 
  that 
  the 
  ferret 
  

   is 
  subject 
  to 
  some 
  similar 
  variation, 
  depending 
  possibly 
  upon 
  

   age 
  or 
  upon 
  physical 
  condition. 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  characteristics 
  of 
  the 
  period 
  of 
  degeneration 
  in 
  

   the 
  ferret 
  occur 
  in 
  a 
  regular 
  succession 
  almost 
  simultaneously 
  

   throughout 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  uterus, 
  so 
  that 
  this 
  period 
  is 
  

   capable 
  of 
  subdivision 
  into 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  stages, 
  the 
  first 
  of 
  

   which 
  is 
  marked 
  by 
  the 
  rupture 
  of 
  the 
  vessels 
  and 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   travasation 
  of 
  blood 
  in 
  the 
  stroma. 
  Then 
  further 
  degenera- 
  

   tion 
  sets 
  in, 
  and 
  the 
  corpuscles 
  tend 
  to 
  become 
  aggregated 
  

  

  