216 DR. JAiMES lOULlS. 



At birth the stroma of the human ovary is well developed 

 in every part, and is arranged in a perfect network through- 

 out the whole organ. The ovary might be compared to a 

 piece of sponge in whose meshes ova are contained. The 

 ova in the human ovary at birth are very numerous. They 

 may be fairly estimated at about 35,000 in each organ. In 

 favorable specimens' a section of such an ovary presents 

 under the microscope a splendid object. In it the stroma 

 appears to be actually saturated with young ova (fig. 5, m), 

 in all of which Ave can recognise the germinal vesicle as a 

 distinct spherical body, and sometimes two or more ger- 

 minal spots are seen in it, and around each germinal vesicle 

 is the yelk substance filling up the entire cavity of the 

 Graafian follicle. In all parts of the stroma the minute 

 connective-tissue-corpuscles crowd together, and in the 

 deeper parts of the ovary, where the oldest Graafian 

 follicles are situated, the connective tissue corpuscles in the 

 walls of the follicles may be seen in contact with and 

 indenting the yelk substance of the included young ova, and 

 in these cases the development of the corpuscles of the 

 membrana granulosa may be clearly followed out. In such 

 a section, under the germ epithelium, the last-formed egg 

 clusters have not as yet been completely subdivided by the 

 connective tissure stroma into the ultimate egg-containing 

 meshes or Graafian follicles, but this is rapidly approaching 

 completion. 



After birth, the inclusion of germ epithelial corpuscles by 

 the ovarian stroma becomes less and less, until at the age of 

 about two years the process has entirely ceased ; for at this 

 period of development the tunica albuginea has assumed a 

 special character as a complete investment to the whole 

 ovary under the germ epithelium. Most superficially its 

 fibres are arranged in a stratified manner, and run horizon- 

 tally round the organ ; and in sections the general stroma of 

 the ovary is seen in connection with the tunica albuginea in 

 all parts. 



From the earliest appearance of the ovary we have on the 

 one hand a growth of germ epithelial corpuscles, and on the 

 other a growth of vascular connective tissue. The germ 

 epithelial corpuscles, in groups or clusters, become gradually 

 surrounded by the vascular connective tissue, and as 

 development proceeds, the connective tissue grows into the 

 groups between the corpuscles, and these become at last 

 separated from each other, and by the thickening of the 

 tissue in, between, and around them, they are ultimately 

 included in separate meshes of the stroma. At the same 



