344 
PROF. DALTON. 
“ The ovary yon will observe is covered by an investment continuous 
with the peritoneum, beneath which is the tunica albuginea correspond¬ 
ing with the thick fibrous coat of the testicle in the male. 1 he Graafian 
follicles are at first situated deep in the substance of the ovary and are 
quite small. 
“As they enlarge and the eggs which they contain come toward 
maturity, they approach nearer to the surface. 1 he walls of the folli¬ 
cle consist of compact connective tissue, lined with epithelium, and en¬ 
close in a transparent fluid. 
“ Beneath the most prominent part of the follicle, at the surface of 
the ovary, there is a thicker mass of epithelium than elsewhere ; and it 
is this thickened mass at the point of prominence that contains the 
microscopic ovum. One or two of these follicles come to maturity at 
time of heat, and it is their rupture and the discharge of their contents 
that constitute the first step toward the formation of a corpus luteum. 
But how does this take place ? As the follicle approaches the surface 
of the ovary, it steadily enlarges by the increase of its fluid contents; 
so that its coats become distended, and are finally ruptured under pres¬ 
sure from within during the vascular excitement which exists at this 
time. 
“ The walls of the follicle and the surrounding elastic tissue now 
react, and the fluid which filled the cavity is forced out. i he fimbriated 
extremity of the Fallopian tube stands ready to catch the fluid, ana with 
it the egg which it carries into the cavity of the uterus. 
“ Now, what happens in the ovary ? We have there a wound or 
cavity something like that of a ruptured abscess ; and, in fact, the' pro¬ 
cess of repair is very similar to what occurs in the healing of an abscess. 
The walls of the cavity, being no longer distended by their fluid con¬ 
tents, collapse, and eventually become filled with granulations. 
“ In woman, and, in fact, in some animals, to a greater or less degree, 
hemorrhage takes place into the cavity of the follicle immediately after 
its rupture, and the effused blood coagulates. In the human female and 
in the pig it forms a solid mass of coagulum ; while in the cow and 
sheep but little hemorrhage takes place, and in the bitch it is always 
quite limited. 
“ But whether hemorrhage follows the emptying of the follicle or 
not, the process of repair is the same or nearly so in all animals. The 
inner surface of the membrane of the follicle begins to thicken at the 
bottom of the cavity, and this thickening gradually extends until it 
reaches the point of rupture where it stops. The thickening of the 
