PHYSICAL AND LITERARY. 4^9 



Teins have been miftaken for finufes, and 

 their branches for caiials opening into the 

 cavity of the womb ; nay, a late learned au- 

 thor applies thefe names of finufes and 

 canals, to the trunks and branches of the 

 veins painted in Albinus's 7 th table of the 

 gravid uterus. 



Th e exiflence of finufes and canals be- 

 ing then imaginary, and the cavities which 

 we have defcribed under the name of linu- 

 fes being intirely the creatures of impreg- 

 nation, and not to be found in the uterus 

 virghuus ; or being at any rate, from the 

 fize of their orifices, unfit receptacles of 

 the blood ; we cannot furely account for 

 the menflrual flux or any other, phaeno- 

 menon from fuch a {lru(flure. 



As the finufes were filled by our coarfe 

 injedion, thrown into the arteries, I ima- 

 gined, that, by a careful diflfedion, the 

 openings of the arteries into them might 

 pofiibly be obferved ; but I found more 

 difficulty than I expeded, from the fize 

 and very large communications of mofl 

 *of the finufes and veins. Near to the ed- 

 ges of the placenta, where they were not 

 Vol. L Qjl q h 



