Chap. IV. MANNER OF DEVELOPMENT. 12 



o 



the higher apes and man. The rodents exhibit a per- 

 fect series of gradations between these two extreme 

 states. In all mammals the uterus is developed from 

 two simple primitive tubes, the inferior portions of 

 which form the cornua; and it is in the words of 

 Dr. Farce "by the coalescence of the two cornua at 

 " their lower extremities that the body of the uterus is 

 "formed in man ; while in those animals in which no 

 " middle portion or body exists, the cornua remain un- 

 " united. As the development of the uterus proceeds, 

 "the two cornua become gradually shorter, until at 

 "length they are lost, or, as it were, absorbed into the 

 "body of the uterus." The angles of the uterus are 

 still produced into cornua, even so high in the scale as 

 in the lower apes, and their allies the lemurs. 



Now in women anomalous cases are not very infre- 

 quent, in which the mature uterus is furnished with 

 cornua, or is partially divided into two organs ; and 

 such cases, according to Owen, repeat " the grade of con- 

 " centrative development," attained by certain rodents. 

 Here perhaps we have an instance of a simple arrest of 

 embryonic development, with subsequent growth and 

 perfect functional development, for either side of the 

 partially double uterus is capable of performing the 

 proper office of gestation. In other and rarer cases, 

 two distinct uterine cavities are formed, each having 

 its proper orifice and passage. 35 No such stage is passed 

 through during the ordinary development of the embryo, 

 and it is difficult to believe, though perhaps not im- 

 possible, that the two simple, minute, primitive tubes 

 could know how (if such an expression may be used) to 



35 See Dr. A. Farre's well-known article in the ' Cyclop, of Anat. 

 and Phys.' vol. v. 1859, p. 642. Owen ' Anatomy of Vertebrates,' vol. 

 iii. 1868. p. 687. Prof. Turner in ' Edinburgh Medical Journal,' Feb. 

 1865. 



