BY JAS. P. HILL. 45 



uterine cul-de-sac or pouch of Douglas of human anatomists. 

 The reflected peritoneum continues forwards on the dorsal surface 

 •of the urogenital strand up to about the middle of the uterine necks. 

 At this level it is reflected from the uteri as a free peritoneal fold 

 or duplication, which passes forwards about as far as the level of 

 the anterior ends of the uteri, and whose free and lunated margin 

 at that level lies in contact with the ventral aspect of the rectum. 

 This fold separates the uteri from the rectum and forms the roof 

 of a faii'-sized pouch, which we may term the dorsal uterine fossa. 

 In fig. 1 the fold has been removed in order to better expose the 

 uterine necks. Into the fossa open the apertures of the peritoneal 

 pouches enclosing the ovaries and fimbriated openings of the 

 Fallopian tubes. Laterally the fold becomes continuous with the 

 morphologically dorsal (mesially directed) surface of the broad 

 ligament along a line parallel with and just ventral to the ureter, 

 which runs backwards in the latter, and is continued forwards on 

 ■each side of the rectum as a fold, continuous laterally with the 

 reflection of the broad ligament, and carrying in its substance the 

 ureter and the ovarian artery and vein. 



The broad ligament is reflected from the lateral side of each 

 uterus, and contains between its two layers the Fallopian tubes, 

 ovaries and uteri. Dorsally to each uterus it forms a definite 

 ovario-peritoneal pouch, in which are situated the corresponding 

 ovary and the fimbriated opening of the Fallopian tube. Each 

 ovarian pouch opens into the dorsal uterine fossa by a wide 

 postero-mesially directed opening. 



In Perameles and Marsupials generally, the Fallopian tube 

 ■does not occup}^ the anterior free margin of the broad ligament 

 but is situated some distance behind that margin as, e.g., is the 

 case in the Rabbit amongst higher mammals. These portions of 

 the broad ligaments situated anteriorly to the Fallopian tubes are 

 confluent in the mid-line between the anterior free portions of the 

 uteri, and form a fold connecting them together. Brass (4) has 

 termed this the " Ligamentum uterorum superius," without 

 apparently appreciating its real nature. 



