An account of two cases in which ovules, or their remains, were discovered in the Fallopian tubes of unimpregnated women who had died during the period of menstruation / by H. Letheby ; communicated by T.B. Curling.

  • Letheby, H. (Henry), 1816-1876.
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An account of two cases in which ovules, or their remains, were discovered in the Fallopian tubes of unimpregnated women who had died during the period of menstruation / by H. Letheby ; communicated by T.B. Curling. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    sexes occurs, the ovule is nevertheless extruded from the ovary, and enters the Fallopian tube, but there perishes*.” The law, as thus expressed, is in conformity with the opinions entertained by Drs. Robert Lee, Paterson, Girdwood, Gendrin, Pouchet, Raciborski, Mr. Whar- ton Jones, and many other authorities of the present time. It is also in accordance with the more ancient doctrines of Malpighi, Sir Everard Home, and Dr. Power. Nevertheless, as the truth of this law, in its application to the human female, appears to be still open to the evidence of positive proof, I have thought it desirable to publish a report of the two following cases. Case 1st.—November the 20th, 1850, a woman aged twenty-six, in a state of great mental excitement, attempted self-destruction by cutting her throat. The wound which she inflicted was not dangerous; and after having been attended to by a surgeon for a few days, the woman was removed to the London Hospital, where she became a patient under Mr. Curling. She lingered until the 14th day of December, when she died. On the following day the body was examined, and it was noticed that the pelvic viscera were highly congested, that the uterus was considerably enlarged, that the vagina contained a sero-sanguineous fluid, and that the hymen was unruptured. In consequence of these appearances the parts were removed for further examination. On cutting into the uterus, I discovered that it contained a small quantity of sanious fluid; I noticed, moreover, that both of the ovaries presented a number of stellate fissures or cicatrices on their surfaces ; and that at one part of the left organ, namely, at its inferior, inner and posterior border, there was a distinct purple spot of the size of a small pea. In the centre of this spot there was a ragged opening, that had, in all probability, recently given exit to an unimpregnated germ (vide Plate III. fig. 1). An incision was made into the gland, so as to cut through the discoloured portion of it, and it was then remarked that the aperture led into a small cavity, the existence of which is still evident in the wet preparation. The cavity was situated at the very summit of the spot, immediately within the opening on the peritoneal surface; and it was surrounded by a large quantity of what appeared to be extravasated blood {vide fig. 2). After the preparation had been immersed in spirit of wine for a few days, I was able to perceive that the spot was made up of four distinct parts;—1st, of an outer vascular layer which surrounded the mass, and extended into it to the depth of xgth of an inch; this layer was gradually thinned as it approached the aperture on the surface of the follicle; and it seemed to consist of the stroma of the ovary in a highly congested state. 2nd. Of a thin layer of very dark matter, which appeared to be the remains of the ovisac. 3rd. Of a mass of coagulated blood strengthened by a network of intersecting fibres; this mass had the bulk of a hemp- seed, and it was found to be composed of blood-discs, fibrin, and large granular corpuscles; it was, doubtless, therefore, the remains of the tunica granulosa in- * Beweis der von der Begattung unabhangigen periodischen Reifung und Loslosung der Eier, p. 4, quoted by Drs. Baly and Kirkes in their Supplement to the second volume of Muller’s Physiology, p. 45.