The human female ovary, with reference to corpora lutea, both true and false / by Frank Renaud.

  • Renaud, F. (Frank), 1819-1904.
Date:
[1845]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The human female ovary, with reference to corpora lutea, both true and false / by Frank Renaud. 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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    ment of the Graafian follicles occurs; and to this may be added, that they sometimes burst—the rupture or the retrocession being guided by the duration and intensity of the action within the secretory gland. False corpora lutea differ from true corpora lutea: or, in other words, these bodies differ from each other, accordingly as they precede or follow impregnation, in the following particulars:— In size; 2c?, In colour; 3d, In the relative thickness of their parietes; 4th, In the rapidity with which they arrive at perfection; ; 5th, In the smaller amount of time they occupy in disappearing; j 6th, In structural peculiarities. 1. Of size.—After the lucid descriptions given of false corpora lutea by Dr Montgomery, M. Raciborski, Dr Lee, Dr Paterson, Dr Ritchie, and others, any further delineation of these general 1 appearances seems unnecessary; and the more especially so, since, I after all, it appears the evidence thus furnished is unsatisfactory in ^ its result, as well as liable to error and misinterpretation. The I size of spurious corpora lutea is perhaps the most uncertain of the * criteria named; nevertheless, the average dimensions of these 3 bodies are less than those of true ones at a very early period of for- mation. At a later date, the comparative difference is most clear, | as they rapidly decrease to one-third, or to more than one-third of their pristine magnitude, prior even to losing their proper yellow colour. In true corpora lutea, the specific secretion goes on pro- gressively increasing, until, occasionally, one-half or more of the j ovary is occupied with it. 2. Of colour.—False corpora lutea appear always of a sulphur or chrome-yellow colour on first being secreted, depending upon the presence of an oil of a bright yellow tint. As degeneration advances, the brightness of the yellow matter fades into a paler hue. The colour of true corpora lutea is more variable, ranging from yellow-ochre to reddish-brown. 3. Of relative thickness of parietes.—This is no mean evidence of a difference existing between the true and false bodies. In false cor- pora lutea, the parietes are characteristically thin; in the true ones, i they are always of relative thickness, but always more so than the spurious ones—the absolute density being in accordance with the internal arrangement of parts. The average thickness of a spurious corpus luteum of recent date is from one-third to one-half of a line. : 4. The rapidity with which they arrive at perfection.—It is an important fact to notice, that, whereas a spurious corpus luteum comes to maturity in two or three days, the true corpus luteum goes on progressively increasing for some weeks. This assertion is based on the fact, that the walls of a false corpus luteum are thick- est immediately after the cessation of the menstrua; whereas true corpora lutea, examined a month after the foetal development has commenced, are found increasing.