THE EEPRODUCTIVE OEGAtfS. 749 



upper angles of the uterus. At the point of attachment to the uterus, 

 each tube is very narrow ; but in its course to the ovary it increases to 

 about an eighth of an inch (3 mm.) in thickness; at its distal extremity, 

 which is free and floating, it bears a number of fimbrice, one of which, 

 longer than the rest, is attached to the ovary. The canal by which each 

 tube is traversed is narrow, especially at its point of entrance into the 

 uterus, at which it will scarcely admit a bristle; its other extremity is 

 wider, and opens into the cavity of the abdomen, surrounded by the zone 

 of fimbrise. Externally, the Fallopian tube is invested with peritoneum ; 

 internally, its canal is lined with mucous membrane, which is apt to be 

 thrown into numerous longitudinal folds, covered with ciliated epithe- 

 lium : between the peritoneal and mucous coats the walls are composed, 

 like those of the uterus, of fibrous tissue and unstriped muscular fibres, 

 chiefly circular in arrangement. 



The Uterus. The uterus (u. c, fig. 442) is a somewhat pyriform 

 shaped organ, and in the unimpregnated state is about three inches (7.5 

 cm.) in length, two (5 cm.) in breadth at its upper part or fundus, but at 

 its lower pointed part, neck or cervix, only about half an inch (1.25 cm.). 

 The part between the fundus and neck is termed the ~body of the 

 uterus: it is about an inch (2.5 cm.) in thickness. 



Structure. The uterus is constructed of three principal layers, or 

 coats serous, fibrous and muscular, and mucous, (a) The serous coat, 

 which has the same general structure as the peritoneum, covers the 

 organ before and behind, but is absent from the front surface of the 

 neck, (b) The middle coat is composed of unstriped muscle, arranged 

 in the human uterus in three layers from without inward, longitudinal, 

 circular, oblique and circular. They become enormously developed dur- 

 ing pregnancy. The arteries and veins are found in large numbers in 

 the outer part of their coat, so as to form almost a special vascular coat. 

 (o) The mucous membrane of the uterus is lined by columnar ciliated 

 epithelium, which extends also to the interior of the tubular glands, of 

 which the mucous membrane is largely made up. 



In the cervix uteri the mucous membrane is arranged in permanent 

 longitudinal folds, palmce plicatce. The glands of this part are of the 

 tubulo-racemose type, branching repeatedly and extending deeply into 

 the substance of the cervix. They. are lined by columnar epithelium, 

 and open on the ridges and furrows of the mucous membrane. They 

 secrete a thick glairy mucus, resembling unboiled white of egg. 



The mucous membrane "of the cavity of the body of the uterus 

 forms a thin membrane about -^5- inch (1 mm.) thick, and is covered on its 

 surface by columnar ciliated epithelium. Imbedded in its substance are 

 numerous simple tubular glands set somewhat obliquely and lined with 

 columnar ciliated epithelium. These glands often bifurcate at their 



