CHANGES IN THE NON-PREGNANT UTERUS 97 



by Heape in Semnopithecus and Macacus. Both authors agree 

 in stating that the superficial portion of the mucosa is denuded 

 during the destruction period, differing thus from Bland Sutton 

 and those writers on human menstruation (referred to above) 

 who maintain that the denudation only involves certain portions 

 of the superficial epithelium. Van Herwerden states that the 

 menstrual changes are less marked in the region of the fundus 

 uteri. 



The chief differences between van Herwerden's account and 

 that of Heape are as follows : — 



According to the former the stroma cells increase mitotically, 

 and not by simple division or fragmentation as supposed by 

 Heape. 



The epithelium is described as being renewed from the 

 glandular epithelium in Cercocebus, and not in part from the 

 subjacent stroma, as it is said to do in Semnofitliecus and 

 Macacus. 



Van Herwerden says that, so far as was observed, the walls 

 of new vessels were not formed during recuperation from 

 stroma cells, as has been described by Heape. 



Van Herwerden states that Cercocebus may experience 

 oestrus after menstruation is over. Presumably, therefore, 

 oestrus occurs contemporaneously with the recuperation process 

 in the uterus. 



The Cycle in Lemurs 



As already mentioned, Stratz ^ has called attention to the 

 prooestrous changes which take place in the uterus of Tarsius 

 spectrum, but the process has been studied more closely by van 

 Herwerden.^ This author describes the following changes : — 



(1) There is a swelhng of the glands which is closely followed 

 by mitotic division among a large number of the epithelial cells. 

 Hypersemia then sets in ; but the congestion is locaUsed to 

 certain places, and is not diffused over the entire mucous mem- 

 brane. Afterwards blood becomes extra vasated in the stroma 

 tissue, the corpuscles being aggregated in the more superficial 

 parts — that is to say, in the vicinity of the epithelium. It was 



' Stratz, Der geschlecJiisreife Saiir/ethiereierstoch, Haag, 1898. 

 ^ Van Herwerden, loc. eit. 



Q 



