FEMALE ORGANS OF GENERATION. 715 



in the act of copulation, and for the subsequent discharge 

 of the foetus. 



The ovaries are two oval compressed bodies, situated in 

 the cavity of the pelvis, one on each side, enclosed in the 

 folds of the broad ligament. Every ovary is attached to 

 the uterus by a narrow fibrous cord (the ligament of the 

 ovary), and, more slightly, to the Fallopian tube by one 

 of the fimbria), into which the walls of the extremity of 

 the tube expand. 



The ovary is enveloped by a capsule of dense fibro- 

 cellular tissue, which again is surrounded by peritoneum. 

 The internal structure of the organ consists of a peculiar 

 soft fibrous tissue, or stroma, abundantly supplied with 

 blood-vessels, and having embedded in it, in various stages 

 of development, numerous minute follicles or vesicles, the 

 Graafian vesicles, or sacculi, containing the ova (fig. 207). 

 A further account of the Graafian vesicles and of their 

 contained ova will be presently given. 



The Fallopian tubes are about four inches in length, and 

 extend between the ovaries and the upper angles of the 

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

 Fallopian tube is very narrow ; but in its course to the 

 ovary it increases to about a line and a half in thickness ; 

 at its distal extremity, which is free and floating, it bears 

 a number ofjimbria, one of which, longer than the rest, is 

 attached to the ovary. The canal by which each Fallopian 

 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 fimbriax 

 Externally, the Fallopian tube is invested with perito- 

 neum ; internally, its canal is lined with mucous mem- 

 brane, covered with ciliary epithelium (p. 33) : between 

 the peritoneal and mucous coats, the walls are composed, 

 like those of the uterus, of fibrous tissue and organic 

 muscular fibres (pp. 581-3)- 



