892 A MANUAL OF ANATOMY 



of this plexus is conveyed away by two uterine veins, which are 

 tributaries of the internal iliac vein. A large proportion of the 

 blood, however, passes from the upper part of the plexus into 

 the ovarian plexus. The uterine plexus communicates below with 

 the vaginal plexus. 



Vaginal Artery. — This vessel, which usually replaces the inferior 

 vesical of the male, arises from the anterior division of the internal 

 iliac, occasionally in common with the uterine, or the middle hemor- 

 rhoidal, artery. It passes downwards and inwards to the wall of 

 the vagina, where it divides into branches which anastomose with 

 their fellows of the opposite side, the vaginal branches of the uterine 

 arteries, and, towards the lower end of the vagina, with branches 

 of the internal pudic. Along the anterior and posterior walls, in 

 the median line, an arterial chain is constructed by the vaginal 

 arteries and the vaginal branches of the' uterine arteries, thus form- 

 ing the vessels known as the vaginal azygos arteries. The vaginal 

 artery also furnishes branches to the bladder, rectum, and bulbus 

 vestibuli. 



The veins of the vagina form a rich plexus in the muscular coat, 

 which is more copious towards the lower end. They communicate 

 above with the uterine plexus, in front with the pudendal plexus 

 around the urethra, behind with the hemorrhoidal plexus, and below 

 with the veins of the bulbus vestibuli. The vaginal vein leaves the 

 upper part of the vaginal plexus and opens into the internal iliac 

 vein. 



THE STRUCTURE OF THE SPECIAL VISCERA OF THE 

 FEMALE PELVJS. 



The Ovaries. 



The ovary is covered by a layer of short columnar epithelial cells. 

 These are the remains of the germinal eptihelium from which the 

 organ is developed, and they rest upon a delicate, connective-tissue 

 membrane, which is blended with the so-called tunica albuginea. 

 Interposed between the columnar cells there are a few spheroidal 

 cells of larger size, which are primordial ova. The connective- 

 tissue membrane is continuous with the peritoneum which forms 

 the mesovarium along the margins of the hilum, and which is 

 covered by endothelium. Within this membrane, and blended 

 with it, there is a continous covering, consisting of fibrous connec- 

 tive tissue, which is called the tunica albuginea ovarii, from its 

 supposed resemblance to the tunica albuginea testis. It is, however, 

 really a condensation of the ovarian stroma at the surface. This 

 stroma pervades the interior of the ovary, and is composed of fibrous 

 connective tissue, which is richly provided with spindle-shaped 

 cells and elastic tissue. There are also a few plain muscular fibres 

 in the deeper part of the ovary close to the hilum. The spindle- 



