46 THE EMBEDDING OF THE OVUM. 



structure. It can be seen in the microscopic sections from 10 

 to 70, then again from 75 to 103 and a trace of it finally in section 

 119. 



The entire 160 microscopic sections are embedded so that the 

 slope of the mucosa elevation with the furrow (F) lies to the 

 right of the specimen and all illustrations follow the same rule. 

 It will thus be perfectly plain, if in describing this fibrinous 

 cover the term "left," applies to the direction toward the uterine 

 fundus, the term "right," toward the slope of the mucosa ele- 

 vation and the furrow (F). 



If for the purpose of reconstruction, the various sections are 

 placed together, one receives the impression, in a view from 

 above, that two minute drops of coagulated blood lie on the mu- 

 cosa elevation near its slope. The larger drop lies more towards 

 the right edge of the uterus, the smaller and flatter one to the 

 left. Still farther to the left in section 119 a trace of a coagu- 

 lated mass can be seen. 



All sections through the larger drop show its right half con- 

 siderably thicker and more voluminous than the left. On the sec- 

 tions through the center, the fibrin appears in rolled up waves 

 like a congealing substance. (Figs. 7, 9, 11, 14, 15. Plates IV, 

 V, VII. VIII. IX.) In explaining this condition one must con- 

 sider that this thicker portion is situated exactly over the fine 

 fissure (e. s.) through which blood is still oozing from the 

 ovular chamber. On the other hand one must keep in mind that 

 the escaping drop, both in the lying or standing position of the 

 woman, must gravitate downwards, i. e., in the direction of the 

 slope of the mucosa elevation. 



The size and structure of the fibrinous cover as well as its re- 

 lation to the ovular chamber can be best understood from a 

 study of some of the illustrations. In section 10 (Fig. 4, Plate 

 II) the cover suddenly appears. It has the shape of an oblong 

 cylinder, somewhat thicker to the right, whose left lower edge 

 is intimately connected with the decidual envelope of the ovum. 

 From the left some surface epithelial cells, already irregular, 

 penetrate under the edge of the cover (e). On its surface lies 

 a band varying in thickness that possibly consists of surface epi- 

 thelia of the mucosa, which, however, are not discernable as such. 

 The cover itself consists of a mass of fibrin in which here and 

 there white and red blood corpuscles are met with. 



Almost identical conditions are found in sections 15 and 19 

 (Figs. 5 and 6 Plate III), only that in Fig. 5, in the band on the 

 surface, a few cuboidal epithelia can be seen, whose origin T 

 failed to determine. 



