170 



OVARY AND PAROVARIUM, BY W. WALDEYER. 



the larger trabeculse of the stroma, extending between the 

 Graafian follicles and reaching in part to the external peripheral 

 layer. The ovaries of the osseous fishes may even have a com- 

 plete muscular investment, from which numerous smaller mus- 

 cular bundles radiate into the several egg-bearing lamellae. 



The question of the relations of the smooth muscular tissue in the 

 ovaries has given occasion to a controversy, that has not as yet been 

 in any way decided, as to whether the musculature stands in direct 

 relation with the bursting of the follicles and the act of expulsion of 

 the eggs. His (52), Rouget (99), Klebs (56), and Aeby (1), go the 

 farthest, who all consider that the muscular tissue forms a large 

 proportion of the stroma of the ovary. M. His is even of opinion 

 that the entire interstitial tissue of the ovaries is nothing but a pecu- 

 liarly modified and confused mass of muscular tissue, for which he 

 proposes the name of " fusiform tissue." The vessels of the ovary, 

 according to the same author, possess no tunica adventitia or media, 

 in the proper sense of the words, but their muscular layers everywhere 

 give off their fibres into the ovarial stroma. M. His regards the fusiform 

 cells of the ovary as consisting collectively of such confusedly inter- 

 woven muscle-cells. Aeby (1) holds that the smooth fibre eel 

 enter the external layer of the wall of the Graafian follicle. Rougt 

 (99), in addition, regards the muscular fasciculi as holding a peculii 

 physiological relation to the vessels, and that there is here the same 

 arrangement of the vessels, and of the muscular fasciculi accompanying 

 them in the form of sheaths, as in the erectile tissues. And whils 

 Rouget associates the mechanism of erection to this combination 

 vessels and smooth muscular fibres, he ascribes to the ovary a capacity 

 for erection that is especially active at the period of menstruation, am 

 promotes the discharge of the ova. The combination of vessels wit 

 fasciculi of smooth muscular fibres is a well-known peculiarity of 

 erectile tissues ; but at present we cannot be said to possess any dirt 

 observations on the erection of the ovaries. Pfliiger (86) indf 

 observed direct contractions of the stroma to occur in the ovan< 

 of the Frog upon eletrical excitation, but was unable to arrive at an 

 positive conclusion in the case of the Rabbit. M. His (52) regards 

 strong curvature of the surface that occurs in fresh sections of 

 ovary of the Cow as a contractile phenomenon. Frey (40) expres 

 himself in similar terms. The results of my own investigations 

 for the most part with those of Kolliker (59), Henle (50), Pfluger (84), 

 and others, who do not ascribe to the smooth muscular tissue 



