MUSEUM OF COMPARATIVE ZOOLOGY. 297 



the sinus urogenitalis, or that of Nagel ('89), who claims that the vagina 

 is a product of the sinus urogenitahs, the boundary between the two 

 constituents being marked by the os externum uteri, it must in either 

 case be granted that the entire genital tract from the ostia abdominales 

 of the oviducts to the os externum is of mesodermal origin. This entire 

 system is lined with a continuous columnar epithelium, which is con- 

 tinuous below with the stratified epithelium of the portio vaginalis. In 

 its histological characters this membrane closely resembles a typical 

 mucous membrane, and is subject to the characteristic disoi*ders of this 

 form of tissue, cancer and catarrh. The Fallopian tubes are believed to 

 be without glands ; ^ in the region of the fundus and corpus, however, are 

 numerous long tubular ccecse which have been called uterine glands. It 

 has not been demonstrated, however, that these structures exercise a 

 secretory function ; and they may merely serve to regenerate the mucosa 

 cast in menstruation. In the cervical region occur glands (glandulae 

 Nabothi, Schleimlirypten) which are much shorter than those in the 

 body of the uterus. These cervical glands secrete a viscous fluid of the 

 characteristic ropy consistency of mucus, which at periods mingles with 

 the catamenial flow,'^ and, in certain stages of pregnancy, forms a com- 

 plete plug in the cervical canal. This secretion forms a dense mass on 

 addition of alcohol ; it swells conspicuously when placed in water ; it 

 stains blue with hsematoxylin, and pink with picro-carmin ; and, finally, 

 according to Overlach ('85) its formation is attended with the same 

 fundamental changes in the protoplasm at the distal end of the secreting 

 cell which are familiar in the case of ordinary mucous secretion.^ It 

 is almost certain that the cervical glands produce true mucus. Not 

 merely, then, does the mesoderm give rise to glands, but it produces 

 glands of the same nature as those found in mucous passages of ecto- 

 dermal origin. 



A second view was that formulated by His ('65*), according to which 



^ The vagina also is stated by Veith ('89) to be normally glandless. 



2 Of interest in this connection are the observations of ArtemjefE ('89), who 

 describes mucous corpuscles as a constituent element of normal lochia. 



3 Through the kindness of Dr. C. S. Minot, I have been able to try in addition 

 a few simple chemical tests on the cervical secretions. The cervical plug from a 

 uterus of three months' pregnancy examined by me, proved to be soluble in po- 

 tassic, sodic, and calcic hydrates, and in sodic carbonate ; it is precipitated by 

 nitric acid, but redissolves in excess ; in strong acetic acid, on the contrary, it 

 appears not to redissolve. The substance gives the proteid reaction with nitric 

 acid, but not that with cupric sulphate. It also gave the specific mucin stain with 

 methylen blue recommended by Hoyer ('90). 



