STRUCTURE OF OVARY. 423 



accompanies it in the inguinal canal, and remains pervious sometimes 

 for a short distance. 



The ligament is composed of unstriated muscular fibres, derived how formed, 

 from the uterus, together with vessels and areolar tissue. 



OVARIES AND FALLOPIAN TUBES. 



OVARY (fig. 156, h). The ovaries are two bodies, corresponding Ovary : 

 with the testes of the male. They are contained in the broad iiga- P sitlon 

 ments of the uterus, one in each. 



Each ovary is of an oval form, and somewhat compressed in one form and 

 direction. It is of a whitish colour, with either a smooth or a co 

 scarred surface. Its volume is variable ; but in the virgin state it 

 is about one inch and a half in length, half as much in width, and dimensions 

 a third of an inch in thickness. and weight. 



Its weight varies from one to two 

 drachms. 



The ovary is placed at the back of 

 the broad ligament, and is attached 

 to that membrane by one margin, 

 where the vessels enter the organ at 

 the hilum. The other margin and 

 both surfaces are free. One end 

 (the upper in the natural position^ 

 is rounded, and is connected with 

 one of the fimbrise (g) at the mouth 

 of the Fallopian tube. The opposite Fl J; 157.-- OVARY DURING THE 

 ., . j , .**- -, CHILD-BEARING PERIOD LAID 



extremity is narrowed, and is fixed Q PEV (p ARRE ) 



to the side of the uterus bv a fibrous 



, , , n . r , , " , .. a. Graafian vesicles in different 



cord, the ligament of the ovary (*), stages of growth> 



below the level of the Fallopian tube J. Plicated body remaining 

 and round ligament. after the escape of the ovum. 



Structure. The ovary consists of Structure 



a stroma enclosing small sacs named Graafian vesicles, which con- 

 tain the ova, and the whole is surrounded by a fibrous tunic. 

 The peritoneum invests it except at the attached margin. 



The fibrous coat is continuous with the contained stroma. Some- a fibrous 

 times a yellow spot (corpus luteum), or some cicatrices, may be seen coat ' 

 in this covering. 



ttroma (fig. 157). The substance of the ovary is spongy, vascu- stroma; 

 lar, and fibrous. At the centre the fibres radiate from the hilum 

 towards the circumference. But at the exterior is a granular 

 material (cortical layer) which contains very many small follicles, 

 about y^Q-th of an inch in size the nascent Graafian vesicles. 



The Graafian vesicles or ovisacs (fig. 157) are round and transparent Graafian 

 sacs, containing fluid, and scattered through the stroma of the ovary % 

 below the cortical layer. During the child-bearing period some 



are larger than the rest (a) : and of this larger set ten to thirty, number 

 , -. ', . , . , . and size, 



or more, may be counted at the same time, which vary in size 



from a pin's head to a small pea. The largest are situate at the 



