THE MUSCULAR FIBRE AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE OF THE UTERUS. 363 



described. The three most important and definite statements are those by Sanger, 

 Meola, and Mayor, each being directly opposed to the other. Sanger holds that the 

 connective tissue undergoes an involution gradually diminishing without the appearance 

 of fat, and playing an entirely passive part. 



Meola, on the other hand, ascribes a very active and important role to the connective 

 tissue, which, instead of degenerating, advances from an embryonic state to one of 

 complete development, the cells becoming fully formed fibrous tissue. 



Mayor, again, holds that the connective tissue cells become loaded with fat, which 

 afterwards disappears, the cells acting as reservoirs, taking up the fat, and passing it on 

 gradually into the circulation, from which again, he suggests, it is . stored up in the 

 connective tissue cells of the body, these being transformed into fat cells. 



With regard to the post-partum changes in the vessels, a large amount has been 

 written on those of the placental site, while little attention has been paid to the state of 

 the vessels of the general uterine wall. Balin, however, has described a process of 

 proliferation of the endothelium of the intima occurring in the vessels (other than those 

 of the placental site).* 



II. Uterus of the Rabbit. 



Very little has been written on this subject. I can find only two works ; the first is 

 that of Kilian, who published his researches in 1849. He describes the increase of the 

 musculature during pregnancy as due to a two-fold process — namely, hypertrophy of pre- 

 existing cells, and development of new cells from flat rounded cells with round nuclei.t 



I should not like to pass on to the description of my own work without drawing 

 attention to one or two points which occur in the passages above referred to. 



In the first place, Kilian's methods appear to have been very primitive ; indeed, the 

 onty methods he used were the following : — First, to tease up the fresh specimen, then to 

 add acetic acid ; if during the first examination he found granules which did not disappear 

 during the second, he concluded these granules were of a fatty nature. His other method 

 was first to dry the preparation, then soften it again with water, and finally to add acetic 

 acid. Now with regard to this method of teasing the fresh preparation, unless it be done 

 very carefully, so as absolutely to isolate each muscle cell, one does find that the muscle 

 cells appear granular, but this is because the exceedingly granular intercellular substance 

 adheres to the outside of the fibres. Further, during the process of teasing, one must 

 necessarily liberate fat granules present in any other tissue, and these are normally 

 present, as is well known, in peritoneal cells ; and I have also found them, as described, 

 in the subperitoneal connective tissue cells, so that it is quite possible for fat granules 

 liberated from other tissues to float into and adhere to the muscle cells. This method 



* Balin, Archiv f. Gyn., xv. ; also Friedlander, Physiologisch-anatomische Untersuchungen uber den Uterus, 1870 ; 

 Leopold, Arch. f. Gyn., xii.; Patenko, Arch.f. Gyn., xiv. s 422. 



t "Die Structur des Uterus bei Thieren," von Dr F. M. Kilian, Zeitschrift fitr rationelle Medicin, Band ix. Heft 1, 

 1846 ; s. 9, 15, 32, 33-35, 40-41. 



