Prof. Wood-Mason ami Mr. Alcock. On the [Mar. I 1 .'. 



of the latter which are not involved in the general secondary de- 

 pression. 



The epithelium is very thick in the bulbous basal portion of 

 glands : here its constituent cells are very long, taper from baseme 

 membrane to lumen, and are arranged round an axial cell in the fo 

 of a cone, of which the outer cells do not extend far up the sides 

 the gland. Above this the cells become gradually shorter and 1 

 oblique, until at or near the month they pass into an ordina 

 columnar epithelium resting perpendicularly on the basal membrane. 



The nucleus of the cells is oval, and stains very strongly. It lies 

 eccentrically near the base of the cell, which stains only less strongly 

 than the nucleus itself, so as to form a sharply-defined, coloured 

 stratum, in which the nuclei are included, throughout the gla 

 This deeply-stained band is most conspicuous in the basal cells, whi 

 are arranged in the form of a cone, and perhaps constitute the chi< 

 if not the only, seat of active secretion. 



Not a single cell in any of the sections has been observed to ha 

 undergone mucoid degeneration ; but many have been noticed 

 contain minute globules, probably of secretion, not only in t 

 coloured basal portion, but also in the clear and unstained outer pa 

 of their protoplasm. 



The sections shew coagulated secretion in the mouths and lumi 

 of many of the glands. The glands measure 0*06 to 0'08 in len 

 by 0'04 to 0'07 in breadth. In a trophonema, 12 mm. long by 1'4 m 

 in uniform width throughout, taking O'Oo mm. as the average diameter 

 of the glands, we have calculated that no less than 21,280 glands are 

 present a result which is probably not far from the mark either way. 

 The trophonemata are exceedingly vascular. Two vessels are present 

 in all : an artery, which runs in the substance of one of their margin 

 and a vein, which takes a sinuous course not quite along the rnidd 

 but nearer to the opposite margin, giving off in its course two 

 three short branches which may or may not anastomose with 

 main stem. Both vessels taper towards the apex, near to which they 

 are resolved into a capillary plexus, or rather into a system of na: 

 sinuous cavities which establishes a communication between the t 

 sets of vessels. The wall of these cavities is formed of a deli 

 nucleated membrane answering to, and appearing in some part 

 almost every section to be in actual continuity with, the endothelial 

 lining and subjacent intima of the vein, into which some of the 

 sinuses can actually be observed to open occasionally. 



The vein is much larger than the artery: its calibre in that part 

 of its course across which the section has been taken being no 

 less than five times as great. The artery is strongly contracted and 

 empty: the vein, on the other hand, is fully dilated and filled with 

 coagulated blood, even to its lateral branches and the larger of its 



