35^ THE GEN 7 ITO-URINARY ORGANS. 



what higher in the cervix than in the corpus. Barfurth (96) has 

 found intercellular bridges between the cells of the uterine epithelium 

 in the guinea-pig and rabbit. In the cervix of the virgin the ciliated 

 columnar epithelium extends as far as the external os, at which 

 point this usually changes to a stratified squamous epithelium. In 

 multiparae the squamous epithelium extends into the cervical canal 

 and may be found, with occasional exceptions (islands of ciliated 

 epithelium), throughout its entire lower third. This arrangement 

 is subject to considerable variation, so that even in children the 

 lower portion of the cervical canal may sometimes be lined by 

 stratified epithelium. Recent investigations have established the 

 fact that in both the uterus and oviducts the general direction of the 

 wave-like ciliary motion is toward the vagina (Hofmeier). In the 

 body of the uterus the mucosa is composed of a reticular connective 

 tissue consisting of relatively few connective-tissue fibers and branched 

 connective-tissue cells arranged in the form, of a network, in the 

 meshes of which are found lymphocytes and leucocytes. Under 

 low magnification the mucosa presents more the appearance of 

 adenoid tissue than of areolar connective tissue. The mucosa of 

 the cervix is somewhat denser, containing more fibrous tissue. In 

 the cervical canal the mucosa of the anterior and posterior walls is 

 elevated to form numerous folds, extending laterally from larger 

 median folds. These folds are known as the pliccz palmatce. 



The mucosa of the body of the uterus and of the cervix contains 

 numerous glands, the uterine and cervical glands. The uterine 

 glands are branched tubular in type, and extend through the mucosa 

 and certain ones may even extend for a short distance into the 

 muscular layer. They are lined by ciliated columnar epithelium, 

 resting on a basement membrane. The cervical glands are larger 

 and more branched than those of the body of the uterus, and belong 

 to the type of tubulo-alveolar glands ; they have a mucous secretion. 

 The glands and crypts extend as far as the external os. In the 

 mucous membrane of the cervical region we find peculiar closed 

 sacs of varying size lined by simple cylindric epithelium, the so- 

 called ovula Nabothi, which probably represent cystic formations 

 (vid. A. Martin). 



Three layers of muscular tissue are to be seen both in the 

 corpus and cervix uteri an inner longitudinal, a middle nearly cir- 

 cular, in which the principal blood-vessels are found, and an outer 

 longitudinal. The inner and outer layers are known respectively 

 from their position as the stratum mucosum and stratum serosum, 

 the middle and more vascular as the stratum vasculosum. As com- 

 pared with the middle, the inner and outer muscle layers are 

 poorly developed. The complicated conditions found in the uterine 

 musculature can be better understood if some attention be paid to 

 its origin. The circular layer should be regarded as the original 

 musculature of the Mullerian ducts. The outer longitudinal layer 

 develops later, and is derived from the musculature of the broad 



