THE GLANDS OF THE UTERUS. 



753 



According to Dr. Sharpey, the glands of the mucous 

 membrane of the bitch's uterus (and according to H. 

 Miiller, that of the human female also) are of two kinds, 

 Fig. 226.* 



simple and compound. The former, which are the more 

 numerous, are merely very short unbranched tubes closed 

 at one end (fig. 227, \ 1 ), the latter ( 2 , 2 ) have a long duct 

 dividing into convoluted branches ; both open on the inner 

 surface of the membrane by small round orifices, lined 

 with epithelium and set closely together. 



On the internal surface Fi 9- 22 7-t 



of the mucous membrane 

 may be seen the circular 

 orifices of the glands, 

 many of which are, in the 

 early period of pregnancy, 

 surrounded by a whitish 

 ring, formed of the epi- 

 thelium which lines the 

 follicles (fig. 228). 



Coincidently with the increasing size of the follicles, the 

 quantity of their secretion is augmented, the vessels of 



* Fig. 226. Section of the lining membrane of a human uterus at the 

 period of commencing pregnancy, showing the arrangement and other 

 peculiarities of the glands, d, d t d, with their orifices, a, a, a, on the 

 internal surface of the organ. Twice the natural size. 



f Fig. 227. A vertical section of the mucous membrane showing 

 uterine glands of the bitch, magnified twelve diameters ; i, i, simple 



glands ; 2, 2, compound ditto (from Sharpey). 



3 o 



