CHANGES IN THE NON-PREGNANT UTERUS 91 



The superficial epithelium, and also the epithelium of the glands, 

 remain practically unchanged. 



III. The Increase of Vessels. Owing to the continued swelling 

 of the stroma the nuclei in the superficial portion are packed 

 less densely, the lining epithelium becoming simultaneously 

 stretched. The glands tend to become wider. Hyperplasia 

 of the vessels occurs below the epithelium, the surface of 

 the mucosa appearing flushed. At the same time leucocytes 

 become more numerous within the vessels. There is no change 

 in the constitution of the deeper portion of the stroma. 



IV. The Breaking Down of Vessels. The whole of the 

 mucosa, including the epithelium, stroma, and vessel-walls, under- 

 goes pronounced hypertrophy, and in the superficial region the 

 congested capillaries break down and their contents become 

 extra vasated through the stroma. Fatty degeneration was not 

 observed byHeape, who is disposed to think that the degeneration 

 is of the amyloid or hyaline type. The leucocytes were noticed 

 to be increased decidedly in number, but they were only de- 

 tected outside of the blood-vessels in the superficial stroma, 

 where the vessel-walls had given way. Diapedesis of corpuscles 

 was nowhere observed. The nuclei of the stroma become larger 

 and more rounded, and exhibit a nuclear network and deeply 

 staining nucleoli. The glands increase in size, becoming longer ; 

 their lumina are wide, and an active process of secretion is 

 taking place. Superficially the mucosa appears very markedly 

 flushed. 



V. The Formation of Lacunce. At this stage the extravasated 

 blood corpuscles collect in lacunae which are situated in the 

 loose stroma tissue which lies below the epithelium. These 

 lacunae are clearly identical with the sub-epithelial hsematomata 

 of Gebhard. The dense stroma tissue, characteristic of an early 

 stage, still persists in places, but is now of rare occurrence. All 

 the superficial vessels have by this time broken down, but those 

 in the deeper tissue remain intact. Neither leucocytes nor red 

 corpuscles are to be found free in the deeper tissue of the stroma. 

 The condition of the glands is the same as in the preceding stage, 

 but there is evidence of degenerative changes in certain of the 

 stroma nuclei, and also in some of the free leucocytes. 



VI. The Rupture of Lacunce. The superficial stroma and 



