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Castrated or juvenile monkeys were given estrogen, progesterone and relaxin in various doses and combinations. Relaxin induced: (1) a dilatation of the superficial endometrial blood vessels and proliferation of their endothelial cells; this effect may be regarded as due to relaxin alone; (2) an intensified differentiation of the endometrial stroma cells into predecidual cells and granulocytes, dependent on estrogen priming and the simultaneous injection of progesterone; (3) a periarteriolar mantle-like accumulation of granulocytes in the basal endometrium dependent on the above pretreatment; ( 4 ) a degranulation of the granulocytes and hypersegmentation of their nuclei following prolonged administration of relaxin with estrogen and progesterone. Morphologically and histochemically the granulocytes of the monkey are almost identical with those of the human uterus and with the granular cells in the decidua and mesometrial gland of the pregnant rat. Immunohistologically relaxin has been demonstrated in the granulocytes of man and rat. The changes in the arterioles brought about by exogenous relaxin occur under physiological conditions only with the increased formation of endogenous relaxin during early pregnancy. They have been described in the immediate vicinity of ovum implantation in man, monkey, and rat. Their function possibly lies in the preparation of blood spaces for nutrition of the young embryo.Hisaw and Hisaw ('64) studied the effects of relaxin in the female monkey, stressing its influence on the thickness of the endometrium and myometrium and on the cervix and symphysis pubis. They concluded that relaxin tended to intensify the synergistic action between estrogen and progesterone on endometrial growth. Since granulocytic cells occur in the endometrium of the monkey (Cleveland, '41; Bartelmez et al., '51; Hellweg, '59), and resemble the endometrial granulocytes of the human female, and since relaxin has been demonstrated immunohistologically in the endometrial granulocytes of the human uterus (Dallenbach and Dallenbach-Hellweg, '64), a histological and histochemical study of the endometria of these monkeys treated with relaxin seemed to be of great interest. It appeared important, therefore, to determine if exogenously administered relaxin in certain dosages and in combination with estrogen and progesterone would have an effect on the number and distribution of the granulocytes and on the degree of granulation. Close attention was also given to the presence of other morphologically recog-AM. J. ANAT., 119: 61-78.nizable effects which might eventually be ascribed to relaxin, in addition to the increased endometrial growth recognized by Hisaw and Hisaw. MATERIAL AND METHODSThe endometria of 64 monkeys (Macaca m u l a t t a ) were examined histologically and histochemically, using essentially the same uteri which were studied by Hisaw and Hisaw ('64). Since the treatments of the castrated animals were presented in detail in their paper, they are not included here. Ten juvenile and non-castrated ani...

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It has been reported by Olsen, Velardo, Hisaw, Dawson and Braverman ('51) that pseudopregnancy in rats can be prolonged beyond its usual duration by eliciting large decidual reactions, and that such prolongation is in general proportional to the amount of decidual tissue developed. These observations are contrary to those of Astwood and Greep ('38) who did not attempt to induce massive cleciduomata, but a r e in agreement with results of experiments by Ershoff and Deuel ( '43) and Peckham and Ureerie ( '48) in which uterine traumatizations were more extensive. 111 none of these studies was histological observation made of the reproductive tract during the prolongation of pseudopregnancy. The present paper deals with the development and involution of the decidual 1-eaction and associated changes that take place in the uterus and vagina during the prolongation of pseudopregnancy. Histochemical changes in the uterus (Ellis, '52) and ovary (Dawson and Velardo, 'r>2) will be the subjects of future reports. The first section of this paper is concernetl Aided by a grant from the William F. Milton Fund, Rarvard Uuiversity.

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FIVE PLATES (THIBTY-THREE FI(~UBES)This