Tin 



fenetic ori"in of Dcmcntia Praccox 



77 



is still more significant instead of yielding a basophile reaction, they are 

 stained pink throughout by the eosin (fig. l). With few exceptions these 

 testes of dementia praecox showed less evidence of active spermatoge- 

 nesis than the testes of an oíd senile dement aged 8 1 at death. 



The Sertoli cells contain lipoid granules even when there is a com- 

 plete disappearance of the spermalogenic cells. There is a thickening of 

 basement membrane and proliferation of interstitial fibrous tissue in 

 proportion to the atroplious changes in the spermatogenic cpithelial cells. 



ÍT» 



\ 9^ S 





l-ig. 3. — Section of testis of new-born child. Showing embryonic tabules and 



polygonal matura interstitial cells with round nuclei. Many small immature 



cells are present but not so distinctly sean lying in loóse areolar tissue. (Staining 



haematoxylin-eosin.i Afagnification 410. 



Spermatozoa are found in the seminal vesicles, and it was apparent 

 that the spermatozoa may remain in the vesicles for a long time after 

 they have ceased to be formed in the testes. The degenerated or dead 

 spermatozoa give an acidophil reaction of the head. In Dementia Prae- 

 cox the contents of the seminal vesicles were either devoid of spermatozoa 

 or the spermatozoa as a rule gave an acidophile reaction (figure 2). 



B. Intern.\l Secretiün. — The interstitial cells of Leydig are nor- 

 mally present in great numbers at birth ifig. 31; having determined the 

 male sexual characters, they undergo a regressive atrophy, and at 4 months 

 the spermatic tubules are twice the size of the tubules at birth and closely 



