268 GENERATION. 



occupied by the Fallopian tubes, the peritoneum constitut- 

 ing their outer coat ; laterally, at the free extremities of the 

 tubes, the peritoneum ceases, and there is an actual opening 

 of each tube into the peritoneal cavity. Attached to the 

 broad ligament, and projecting upon its posterior surface, is 

 the ovary. This little, almond-shaped body is connected with 

 the fibrous tissue between the two layers of the ligament, and 

 has no proper peritoneal investment ; so that it is actually 

 within the peritoneal cavity. If we look at the ovary from 

 the front, we simply see the rounded prominence which 

 marks the point of attachment to the broad ligament ; but, if 

 we look from behind, the projecting surface is seen, and we 

 have a distinct ring of demarcation at the base, which indi- 

 cates where the tessellated, serous epithelium ceases, and 

 where the proper columnar epithelium of the ovary begins. 

 If a vesicle should rupture upon the surface of the ovary, 

 its contents might thus be taken up by the Fallopian tube 

 and be carried to the uterus. Each ovary is attached to the 

 uterus by a ligament, lying just beneath the peritoneum, 

 called the ligament of the ovary. This ligament is com- 

 posed of non-striated muscular fibres. Between the folds 

 of the broad ligament, are, the round ligament of the ute- 

 rus, vessels, nerves, and a thin layer of non-striated muscular 

 fibres continuous with the superficial muscular fibres of the 

 uterus. 



We are now prepared to study Fig. 24, which shows the 

 general arrangement of these parts, viewed from behind. A 

 portion of the figure which, in the original, shows the exter- 

 nal parts, is cut off, to avoid complicating our description. 

 The left half is represented as covered with peritoneum, and 

 the free, fimbriated extremity of the Fallopian tube on this 

 side is drawn away from the ovary, leaving only a single 

 prolongation, which is attached. This shows that the Fallo- 

 pian tube opens directly into the peritoneum, and that the 

 ovary is also actually in this cavity, and has no true perito- 

 neal covering. On the right side, the posterior layer of the 



