v GENERATIVE SYSTEM OF THE FEMALE 169 



during gravidity, and also at times removed from the period of 

 sexual excitement. 



In rabbits, according to Russo, besides the ova with the 

 globules of lecithin, there are ova which are without them, and 

 contain in their place crystals of fatty acids. The latter are. more 

 easily subject to degeneration. Considering the statistics collected 

 by Bodio for man, which show that the still-born are for the 

 greater part of the male sex, Russo audaciously draws the con- 

 clusion that the ova without globules of lecithin are destined to 

 produce males, whilst the ova provided with them produce females ! 

 Without denying that the said granules have an importance for 

 the development of the germ, we must, however, insist that we 

 are not yet in a position to define it. 



The whole process of maturing and rupture of the Graafian 

 follicle, with the consecutive escape of the ovum, is conveniently 

 called ovulation. This -happens periodically at every lunar 

 month, that is every four weeks, usually before the menstrual 

 bleeding begins, as we shall describe in more detail later on. 

 Ovulation continues through the whole duration of the generative 

 activity or capacity of woman ; it begins with puberty or sexual 

 maturity, and does not cease until the critical age or menopause. 

 But of the immense number of ovarian follicles which are found 

 in the ovary of the foetus, or are formed subsequently, only a 

 very small part pass through all the phases of development and 

 reach maturity. The greater part of them disappear by a physio- 

 logical process of obliteration or follicular atresia, which com- 

 mences at birth and continues with varying intensity until the 

 cessation of the generative activity of the woman. Atresia affects 

 specially the primary follicles, but may also attack the follicles 

 more or less advanced in development. Both in the first and in 

 the second, the process begins with degeneration of the ovum, 

 which manifests itself either by simple atrophy or by chroma- 

 tolysis of the germinal vesicle ; the chromatin is reduced to 

 granules, the nuclear membrane is destroyed, and the contents 

 dissolve in the body of the cell, which at the same time undergoes 

 fatty degeneration. The follicular epithelia are also destroyed, 

 and their remains and the vesicular liquid, if it is already formed, 

 are absorbed. In this process a part is taken also by the 

 leucocytes, which, penetrating into the follicles and even into 

 the ova, exercise their phagocytic action. 



As a final result of this process of atrophy of the follicles, 

 the hypertrophied interfollicular connective tissue takes the 

 place of the follicles destroyed. The large follicles which were 

 nearest to maturity do not, however, as a consequence of these 

 degenerative processes disappear altogether, but are transformed 

 into little cysts devoid of epithelial lining (Slaviansky, 1874 ; 

 Schottlander, 1891-93 ; Wandeler, 1898). 



