THE MULLEEIAX DUCTS. 779 



position, but rather one change out of many which attend 

 the gradual development and re-arrangement of these 

 organs. It may be repeated, however, that the details of 

 the process by which the descent of the testicle into the 

 scrotum is effected are not accurately known. 



The homologue, in the female, of the gubernaculum 

 testis, is a structure called the round ligament of the uterus, 

 which extends through the inguinal canal, from the outer 

 and upper part of the uterus to the subcutaneous tissue in. 

 front of the symphysis pubis. 



At a very early stage of foetal life, the efferent ducts of 

 the Wolffian bodies of the kidneys and of the ovaries or 

 testes, open into a receptacle formed by the we r end of 

 the allantois, or rudimentary bladder ; and as this com- 

 municates with the lower extremity of the intestine, there 

 is for the time, a common receptacle or cloaca for all these 

 parts, which opens to the exterior of the body through a 

 part corresponding with the future anus. In a short time, 

 however, the intestinal portion of the cloaca is cut off from 

 that which belongs to the urinary and generative organs ; 

 a separate passage or canal to the exterior of the body, 

 belonging to these parts, being called the sinus urogenitalis. 

 Subsequently, this canal is divided, by a process of division 

 extending from before backwards or from above down- 

 wards, into a "pars urinaria " and a "pars genitalis." The 

 former, continuous with the urachus (p. 749), is converted 

 into the urinary bladder. 



The Fallopian tubes, the uterus, and the vagina are 

 developed from two threads of blastema, called the 

 Miillerian ducts (fig. 244, m), which appear in front of the 

 Wolffian bodies at about the time that these begin to 

 change their relative position to neighbouring parts, and 

 to decrease in size. The two Miillerian ducts are united 

 below into a single cord, called the genital cord, and, from 

 this are developed the vagina, as well as the cervix and 

 the lower portion of the body of the uterus; while the 



