302 Diseases of the Genital Organs 



The history of the nodules has been studied chiefly by 

 Thorns. He found them to consist of clumps of cells encap- 

 suled within the mucous membrane. The cells, which are 

 mononuclear, can not be differentiated microscopically from 

 ordinary lymphocytes. The capsule surrounding the cell 

 mass is not dense, but is well defined and furnishes no 

 stroma. So far as observed, no capillaries enter the cellular 



FlG. 89— Section through four contiguous nodules which cause a 

 single, rather flat elevation of the surface. (Thorns. 



mass, but are confined to the peripheral zone, where they 

 are large and prominent. (See Figs. 88, 89, 90, 91.) 



When the nodules are very numerous and the mucous 

 membrane is thrown into folds, the nodules projecting above 

 the surface of one fold may come into contact with those 

 from the contiguous ridge, and, by attrition, the superficial 

 layer of epithelium may be worn away. It is very largely 

 duo to this secondary lesion that a considerable amount of 



