UTERUS (ABNORMAL ANATOMY). 



679 



lined by mucous membrane. This constitutes 

 the condition designated by Mayer the uterus 

 bipartltus. The concomitants of this condition 

 may be a short vaginal cul-de-sac, together 

 with rudimental Fallopian tubes, and perhaps 

 well developed ovaries. In the latter case 

 the external organs may be well formed, and 

 there may be no deficiency of sexual charac- 

 ter, or the vagina may be entirely wanting. 



The coexistence of this rudimental uterus 

 with ovaries well developed is easily ex- 

 plained. For the ovary is formed out of a 

 separate portion of blastema from that from 

 which the Wolffian bodies and excretory duct 

 of the generative apparatus are developed, _/%. 

 400. and 416., so that the failure in growth 

 of the one does not necessarily involve a cor- 

 responding defect in the other. 



Group II. If one uterine cornu retains the 

 imperfect condition last described, while the 

 second undergoes development, the one- 

 horned uterus or uterus unicornis is produced. 

 So that the organ here consists of a developed 

 and an undeveloped half combined. 



The developed uterine horn may be either 

 the left or the right. It then consists of a 

 cylindrical or fusiform canal or body, curved 

 outwardly in the form of an arch which ex- 

 hibits various degrees of deflection from the 

 meridian. To its upper extremity is usually 

 attached a tube leading to the seat of a well- 

 formed ovary. 



The second or undeveloped cornu, with its 

 tube, is not always entirely deficient ; but 

 there often exists a rudiment in connexion 

 with the developed horn, which, according to 

 the degree of malformation, is either solid or 

 hollow, or is traversed by a canal opening 

 into the cervix of the developed half. 



In the case of the uterus unicornis, notwith- 

 standing the imperfection of one uterine half, 

 both ovaries may be found alike developed. 



The type of this condition of uterus exists 

 as a normal formation in the class aves, where 

 one side only of the generative apparatus 

 proceeds in its growth, and the other remains 

 undeveloped from an early period of foetid 

 life.* 



Group III. If, instead of an unsymmetrical 

 growth of the two uterine cornua, such as 

 occurs in the last example, both sides are 

 alike developed, yet without any, or with 

 only an imperfect, junction of their lateral 

 borders there is produced a uterus bicornis, 

 falsely termed a double uterus (uterus du- 

 plex). Here however there is no evidence of 

 plurality, or true duplicity of the uterus, but 

 only a deficiency of that union of the two 

 separately formed halves by whose subsequent 

 conjunction the organ is normally constituted. 



This conjunction should naturally com- 

 mence from the level of the point of attach- 

 ment of the round ligaments, and the varia- 

 tions in the degree of malformation will be 

 according to the height at which the union of 

 the uterine halves stops short of that point. 

 The highest degree of malformation in this 



group, or the greatest departure from the 

 normal form, is that in which the two uterine 

 halves do not coalesce at nil, but remain com- 

 pletely divided in their whole extent. This 

 happens very rarely, and is co-existent with 

 other malformations, such as fissure of the 

 abdominal and pelvic walls. The division is 

 here so complete that certain of the pelvic or 

 abdominal viscera may occupy the space be- 

 tween the two uterine halves. 



In the next degree of this kind of deformity 

 a horizontal commissure occupies the angle 

 in which the two uterine halves meet, and 

 serves to unite them together (Jig. 46 1 .). The 



Fig. 461. 



The body of the uterus divided into two halves, which 

 are united at the cervix by a horizontal commissure 

 representing the fundus. Tlie os uteri and vagina 

 are double. (After Busch.) 



horizontal commissure is composed, like the 

 cornua, of uterine tissue, and represents the 

 fundus uteri. According to the height at 

 which it is placed, the external form of the 

 uterus approaches or recedes from the normal 

 type. Kokitansky* has pointed out how the 

 situation of this commissure affects the angle 

 in which the two cornua meet, and conse- 



Fig. 462. 



The vagina, os uteri, and cervix, sinyle. (After 

 Busch.) 



The body of the uterus forming two. cornua, 

 which are still nearly horizontal, but are united by 

 a commissure at a higher point than in Jig. 401. 



quently the relative mutual position of the two 

 uterine halves. The nearer the point of co- 



* See Fallopian lube, p. r,l::. 



* Loe. cit. p. 274. 

 x x 4 



