630 



UTERUS AND ITS APPENDAGES. 



into folds whose offices will be presently more 

 specially considered. At the lateral lines of 

 junction of the two cervical walls, where a 

 crease or furrow is formed by the sudden 

 bending of the parietes, an imperfect raphe is 

 sometimes found, uniting a portion of the 

 plicae ; but more commonly the laminas of one 

 surface either pass over and become united 

 at their extremities with those of the oppo- 

 site side, or else upon reaching the lateral 

 angles they split up into smaller divisions, 

 which are again gathered into the single folds 

 upon the opposite side, their junction being 

 then effected by the interposition of a cribri- 

 form surface. 



The central raphe and lateral plicae pro- 

 ceeding from it, under whatever form they 

 may appear, constitute together a series of 

 primary folds, from which others of a secon- 

 dary order are produced. These emerge from 



either side of the lateral plicae, and, crossing 

 the furrows between them, subdivide again 

 and again until the whole surface presents 

 that cribriform aspect which can be just dis- 

 cerned by the naked eye, but cannot be accu- 

 rately examined without the aid of the mi- 

 croscope. Here also are found in countless 

 numbers these mucous crypts, which appa- 

 rently furnish the peculiar secretions of this 

 portion of the uterus (Jig. 432.). 



Structure and arrangement of the tissues 

 composing the uterus. The uterus is usually 

 described as consisting of three coats, viz., an 

 outer or serous, a middle or muscular, and an 

 inner or lining membrane, commonly termed 

 the mucous coat. But these coats cannot, like 

 the three coats of an intestine, for example, 

 be separately displayed, because each passes 

 so imperceptibly into the others, that although 

 to the naked eye an apparent distinction may 



Fig. 433. 



Section of female pelvis and its contained viscera. (After Koltlrausch,* reduced.') 



A, uterus ; B, bladder ; c o, rectum ; D, anterior, and E, posterior lip of cervix uteri ; F, connective 

 tissue umtiiiLC the anterior wall of the cervix to the bladder; G, lax tissue between the posterior wall of 

 the cervix and the peritoneum ; n, vagina. 



* Zur Anatomie und Physiologic der Beckenorgane, von Dr. O. Kohlraiibdi, Leipzig, 1854. 



