FEMALE ORGANS OF GENERATION. 857 



As the only true philosophic view to take of the question, we shall assume, in common 

 with nearly all modern writers upon physiology, that there is no such thing in Nature 

 as spontaneous generation ; admitting that the exact mode of production of some of the 

 infusoria, lowest in the scale of being, is not understood. 



Female Organs of Generation. 



An accurate knowledge of certain points in the anatomy of the female organs of gen- 

 eration is essential to the comprehension of the most important of the processes of repro- 

 duction. Following a fruitful intercourse of the sexes, the function, as regards the male, 

 ceases with the comparatively simple process of penetration of the male element through 

 the protective covering of the ovum and its fusion with the female element. The fecun- 

 dated ovum then passes through certain changes, which are the first processes of its 

 development, forms its attachments to the body of the mother, continues its develop- 

 ment, materials being derived from the mother, is nourished and grows, until the foetus 

 at term is brought into the world. An exact knowledge of the mechanism of these com- 

 plicated processes can only be obtained after a careful study of the anatomy of the female 

 organs. We must know precisely how the ovum is developed in the ovary and how it 

 is discharged ; how, after its discharge, it is received by the oviduct and carried to the 

 uterus ; if fecundation do not take place, there is nothing more to study, as the ovum is 

 lost ; but, as the fecundated ovum must form certain attachments within the uterus, we 

 must be acquainted with the anatomy of this organ, before we can comprehend its devel- 

 opment. Again, we have to study the phenomena which attend the discharge of ova, 

 and the changes which take place in the ovaries, anterior to, during, and subsequent to 

 ovulation. It will not be essential for us to study very closely the anatomy of the exter- 

 nal parts, as these are only concerned in sexual intercourse and in parturition ; which 

 latter, though a purely physiological process, forms the greatest part of the science of 

 obstetrics, is considered elaborately in treatises on this subject, and is not usually treated 

 of, to any great extent, in works upon physiology. 



The female organs of generation are divided anatomically into internal and external. 

 The external organs are the vulva, the adjacent parts, and the vagina ; the internal 

 organs are the uterus, Fallopian tubes, and ovaries. When we come to study the func- 

 tions of the internal parts, we shall see that the ovaries are the true female organs, in 

 which, and in which alone, the female element can be produced. The Fallopian tubes 

 and the uterus are accessory in their functions, the female element (the ovum) passing 

 through the Fallopian tubes to the uterus, where it forms the attachments to the body 

 of the mother which are essential to its nourishment and full development after fecun- 

 dation. 



Before we proceed to study the structure of any of the female organs, it is important 

 to have a clear idea of the general arrangement and the relations of these parts ; for, 

 without this, we shall be constantly in the dark as to the bearing of certain important 

 anatomical points that have been brought forward within the last few years. 



The vagina has a direction, slightly curved anteriorly, which is nearly coincident with 

 the axis of the outlet, or the inferior strait of the pelvis. Projecting into the vagina, at 

 its upper extremity, is the lower part of the neck of the uterus. The uterus extends in -m 

 the vagina nearly to the brim of the pelvis. It is situated between the bladder and the 

 rectum, and has an antero-posterior inclination, when the bladder is moderately distended, 

 which brings its axis nearly coincident with that of the superior strait of the pelvk 1 

 Supposing the body to be erect, the angle of the uterus with the perpendicular would 

 be about forty-five degrees. These details with regard to the position of the uterus 



1 The statements given above, with mrnrd to the position of the utiTiis. are very ireneral. The uterus i- 

 ingly movable nntero-posteriorly, and the direction of its axis is lankly dependent upon the condition <.f the other 

 pelvic organs. When the bladder is distended, the fundus is moved upward ; and, when tho bladder is empty, tho 

 axis of the uterus may be inclined forward so as to become nearly horizontal. 



