Abstract
Compared to normal pregnancy an evident reduction of the electrical potentials and electrochemical gradients was found in cases of hydrallantois without primary foetal deformity. The permeability of chorio-allantois in vitro was distinctly increased in some extreme cases of the disease. It is suggested that the pathogenesis may be a primary decrease in active transport of ions across the chorion, followed by a mechanical destruction of the micro-structure of the chorio-allantoic membranes.