668 THE UTERUS. 



foetus, and were called ovula Nabothi. This coat is more 

 vascular in the body than in the neck, and is so delicate and 

 difficult of demonstration that some have even denied its 

 existence. The middle coat or proper tissue is composed of 

 strong, grajish fibres, closely interwoven, and, in the unini- 

 pregnated state, presenting the density of cartilage under 

 the knife. The true character of these fibres is yet unset- 

 tled, some contending that they are muscular, others that 

 they are fibrous, while others regard them as fibrous 

 in the unimpregnated, and muscular in the pregnant or- 

 gan. This latter opinion seems to correspond with the 

 changes observed in the uterus before and after pregnancy. 



In the former or quiescent state, the uterus, as stated, is 

 condensed and compacted in its fibres hard, without con- 

 tractility, and presenting very little the appearance of 

 muscular tissue ; while during gestation the blood-vessels 

 become greatly enlarged, the sensibility much exalted, 

 and the fibres softened, loose, immensely contractile, as 

 proven by the state of labor, and exhibiting, in an eminent 

 degree, all the characteristics of muscles of organic life. 



In this state of gestation the fibres are seen to be ar- 

 ranged into two layers, a superficial and deep the former 

 longitudinal upon the anterior and posterior surface of the 

 body, oblique upon the sides and fundus, and continued 

 upon the Fallopian tubes, round, and ovarian ligaments. 

 The deep layer is seen to consist of two series of conical 

 fibres, the base being in the body of the uterus, and the 

 apex at the Fallopian tubes. Around the neck the fibres 

 are circular, intersecting each other at different angles. 



Of the arteries of the uterus, two, the uterine, come from 

 the internal iliac, and two, the spermatic, from the aorta. 

 The uterine veins are very large, and during pregnancy 

 are called sinuses ; they discharge into the internal iliac 

 and renal veins, and the vena cava. 



The nerves, during pregnancy, are also large and well 

 developed; they come from the hypogastric and renal 

 plexuses, with some of the anterior branches of the sacral 

 nerves. The lymphatics of the uterus, in gestation, are, 

 like the veins, very large. 



