174 



EMBRYOLOGY. 



What is the minute structure of an ovary ? 



It may be described as a ductless gland in which the component 

 elements are (1) a stroma of connective tissue and unstriped mus- 



FIG. 51. 



Generative Organs of the Human Female : a, a, ovaries ; 6, b, Fallopian tubes ; c, body of 

 the uterus ; d, cervix ; e, vagina. 



cle-cells, and with them a great number of peculiar spindle-shaped 

 branching cells ; and (2) the glandular portion, characterized by 

 the Graafian follicles. 



What are the Graafian follicles ? 



They are best observed during the childbearing age. They lie 

 in the periphery, and present various/appearances as they are more 

 or less matured. Some are large enough to be seen by the unaided 

 eye, while others are very minute. In the matured follicle the in- 

 terstitial tissue will be found to have collected in a wall, quite well 

 defined, which is lined by an epithelial layer ; and upon one side 

 this epithelium is heaped up into a mass, the germ-hill (cumulus 

 proligerus), which contains the ovum. The remainder of the fol- 

 licle is filled with a colorless fluid. 



How does the ovum leave the ovary ? 



As the Graafian follicles mature, they approach, and often pro- 



