Anatomy. — “On a human ovary with a large number of abnormal 
follicles and the genetic significance of this deviation.” By 
M. W. Worrpeman. (Communicated by Prof. J. Boeke). 
(Communicated at the meeting of June 26, 1920). 
Last year, at the course of microscopic anatomy, sections of a 
human ovary, which had many peculiarities, were distributed among 
the students. | made a series of sections of 10u of that part of the 
ovary, that had not yet been cut into sections, in order to make an 
extensive study of the peculiarities found. After my examination of 
the preparations and. the study of the very extensive literature, I 
think I am justified in adding another communication to that literature. 
The origin of the preparation could not be traced. In the collection 
of materials of our laboratory it was only mentioned as “human 
ovary”, without any further explanation. As it was not possible to 
make out, which of my predecessors had added the preparation to 
the collection, I am ignorant of the age of the individual, from 
which the organ was taken. It was fixed very. well in formaline 
and was imbedded in paraffine. At a microscopic examination it 
was evident that there were a great many folliculi vesiculosi of DE 
GraaF and a great many atretical follicles. At some places, I think 
I noticed some luteine cells. This is a sign that ovulation has taken 
place. Besides, the measurements of the organ in question and the 
comparison with ovaria of babies make it plausible that the ovary 
is from a mature -individual. But this is only a hypothesis. 
For in 1739 already, VartisNerus described the presence of ripe 
vesicles in a newly-born infant and according to E. Rvxer (1906) 
this phenomenon would appear regularly. The egg-cells would even 
be fit for fecundation and ovulation would take place. If this were 
true, the presence of large vesicles and ovulation phenomena would 
not prove that the individual was mature. But as KAppeni and Herz 
examined more than 200 ovaria of newly-born animals, in which 
they found large vesicles, but never saw the slightest trace of 
ovulation, we should not accept without further evidence that ovula- 
tion takes place with babies. Whatever the case may be, it is very 
