[Various aspects of the vessels of the renal glomerulus seen through the scanning electron microscope]

The kidney glomeruli of the rabbit have been examined by means of repletion with celloidin and subsequent corrosion. The observation has been done with a scanning electronic microscope. In their most general and common aspect, the glomeruli have variations in their arteries; in some cases these are homogenous whilst in others they may be different within a single glomerulus and different among each other. When the glomeruli are dissected, these differences are seen much better as there can be seen to be several collaterals, those emerging from the afferrent trunk which may have different devices and several shapes as some are more or less elongated whilst in other circumstances these arteries are spiral with numerous curls. We cannot specify whether these differences are purely morphological or different functional states. When glomeruli are observed in a single area, they present different shapes and sizes which suggests that these differences are typical of each glomerulus and never dependent upon the topography where they are located. The arteries of the glomeruli are generally arranged in lobules. These may be different in the size, length and arrangement of the vessels since, as we clearly state in this paper, the vascular lobules are different from each other within a single glomerulus.