346 



THE GENITOURINARY ORGANS. 



the primitive egg tubes are penetrated throughout by connective 

 tissue, so that each egg tube is separated into a number of irregular 

 divisions. In this way a number of distinct epithelial nests are 

 formed, which lose their continuity with the germinal epithelium 

 and finally lie imbedded in the connective tissue. According to the 

 shape and other characteristics of these epithelial nests, we may 

 distinguish several different groups: (i) The primitive egg tubes 



Germinal epi- 



thelium. 



"--. Tunica albu- 



ginea. 



Follicular 

 ._._ epithelium. 



Ovum. 



e v ^v^yrajyKn^'^fi^^y^y&-^i<^K^^SK;fgo 



^ a flU&o > *Vi ft o ^Ai* 



Granular layer of 

 large Graatian 

 follicle. 





Fig. 276. From ovary of young girl ; X I 9- 



of Pfluger ; (2) the typical primitive follicles i.e., those which 

 contain only a single egg-cell (present in the twenty-eighth week of 

 fetal life) ; (3) the atypic follicles i. e., those containing from two 

 to three egg-cells ; (4) the so-called nests of follicles, in which a 

 large number of follicles possess only a single connective-tissue en- 

 velope ; (5) follicles of the last-named type which may assume the 

 form of an elongated tube, and which are then known as the con- 



