Collections of purifbrm fi'uid in the tube. — Abscess of the tube.— The presence of pus in the Fallopian tube is most frequently asso ciated with suppurative puerperal inflammation of the uterus and its appendages generally. But it may also occur independently of the puerperal state, and as a consequence of ca tarrhal inflammation of the mucous lining of the tube which may have passed into the sup purative stage. These cases differ from the foregoing, not only in the nature of the con tents of the tube, consisting here of pus or of puriform fluids with admixture of other in flammatory products from the lining membrane of the tube; but also in respect of the great tendency which is here observable to the for mation of adhesions and the establishment of fistulous openings into adjacent parts, as into the bladder, intestines, or peritoneum, into which cavities these fluids are occasionally discharged.
Cysts containing fluid attached to the tube.— Very commonly there may be observed one or more cysts containing a small quantity of transparent fluid, attached by a narrow pe duncle to the tube, and particularly to the distal extremity Cfig. 368. e). The nature of these cysts has been already explained. (See p. 597.) They can only be regarded as morbid when they attain to an unusual size, as in fig. 421. They are occasionally found as large as a nut, but they very seldom exceed, and indeed do not often attain even to this size.
Fibrous tumours. — One of the most re markable points of difference between the morbid conditions of the Fallopian tube and of the uterus respectively is the very great rarity of the occurrence in the former of those 'fibroid growths, which in the latter constitute its most common abnormal peculiarity. No thing can mark more distinctly the difference of texture between these two parts than this very characteristic circumstance : since it is -now known that the peculiar fibrous tumour of the uterus is formed at the expense of the natural tissues of that part. Occasionally', indeed, small fibrous tumours are found in the parenchyma of the tube, but these never attain to any considerable size. These oc casionally undergo calcificadon, from a deposit of earthy material in their texture, and thus form little masses of stony hardness which project from the walls of the tube, and are covered by its peritoneal coat.
Tubercle is occasionally formed in the Fal lopian tube. It occurs there usually in the -form of tuberculous infiltration, which, in the opinion of Rokitansky, affects chiefly the mucous membrane of the tube. The occur
rence of tubercle here presents nothing re markable enough to call for further special description.
Cancer of the tube is not a common oc currence. I have never met with it inde pendently of cancer of the ovaries or uterus ; but when either of the latter organs are exten sively affected, the tubes are also occasionally involved. Upon the malignant diseases of the Fallopian tube most pathological writers are nearly silent ; nor has our literature been enriched by any considerable number of special records bearing upon this point in Pathology.
Rupture of the Fallopian tube.—Spontaneous laceration of the walls -of the tube occurs sometimes as a result of over-distension, or too great attenuation of its tissues, whereby the parietes are rendered no longer capable of resisting the increasing pressure of the fluids accumulated within. In this way large col lections of serous, purulent, or sanguineous fluids are sometimes poured out into the cavity of the abdomen, unless, indeed, by the previous adhesion of the walls of the tube to surrounding parts, the point of rupture is directed to some neighbouring hollow viscus by which the fluids escape externally. But rupture of the tubes will most frequently happen in connexion with the tubal form of extra.uterine gestation, which is next to be described.
Detention and abnormal Development of the Ovum in the Oviduct. Tubal Gestation. Gra viditas tubaria. — This constitutes a second species of those aberrant forms of gestation, commonly termed extra-uterine, one of which has been considered under the title of Ovarian Gestation, (p. 586.) It has been already shown, that one prin cipal office of the Fallopian tube is the con veyance of the ovum from the ovary, or place of its first formation, to the uterus, or seat of its final development ; and that the ovum, whilst in transitu, not only becomes impreg nated, but also exhibits certain indisputable evidences of commencing development, which, however, has usually advanced only a few stages by the time that the ovum enters the uterine cavity. The tube, therefore, as well as being an oviduct, is also the seat of normal impregnation ; whilst, in addition, it serves-to protect and possibly, in some slight degree, to add to the material of the ovum, although the actual operation of the tube walls upon the surface of the ovum in this respect must ne cessarily be very slight in the mammalia, since it so rarely happens that any increase in its size is perceptible from the time of its quitting the ovary to that of its reaching the uterus.