1178 



FEMALE GENERATIVE ORGANS. 



pervious even in advanced life. It is analogous to the peritoneal pouch which 

 accompanies the descent of the testis. 



Vessels and Nerves. The arteries of the ovaries and Fallopian tubes are the 

 ovarian from the aorta. They enter the attached border, or hilum, of the ovary. 

 The veins follow the course of the arteries ; they form a plexus near the ovary, the 

 pampiniform plexus. The nerves are derived from the inferior hypogastric or 

 pelvic plexus, and from the ovarian plexus, the Fallopian tube receiving a branch 

 from one of the uterine nerves. 



THE MAMMARY GLANDS. 



The mammae, or breasts, are accessory glands of the generative system, which 

 secrete the milk. They exist in the male as well as in the female, but in the 

 former only in the rudimentary state, unless their growth is excited by peculiar 

 circumstances. In the female they are two large hemispherical eminences situated 



Fat. 

 Lobule unravelled. 



* Lactiferous duct. 



K 

 X 



Ampulla. 



** 



*> 

 Loculi in connective tissue. 



FIG. 756. Dissection of the lower half of the female breast during the period of lactation. (From Luschka.) 



Lobule' 



toward the lateral aspect of the pectoral region, corresponding to the intervals 

 between the third and sixth or seventh ribs, and extending from the side of the 

 sternum to the axilla. Their weight and dimensions differ at different periods 

 of life and in different individuals. Before puberty they are of small size, but 

 enlarge as the generative organs become more completely developed. They 

 increase during pregnancy, and especially after delivery, and become atrophied in 

 old age. The left mamma is generally a little larger than the right. Their base 

 is nearly circular, flattened or slightly concave, and has its long diameter directed 

 upward and outward toward the axilla ; they are separated from the Pectoral and 

 Serratus magnus muscles by a layer of fascia. The outer surface of the mamma 

 is convex, and presents, just below the centre, a small conical prominence, the nipple 

 (mammilla). The surface of the nipple is dark-colored and surrounded by an 

 areola having a colored tint. In the virgin the areola is of a delicate rosy hue ; 

 about the second month after impregnation it enlarges and acquires a darker tinge, 

 which increases as pregnancy advances, becoming in some cases of a dark-brown 

 or even black color. This color diminishes as soon as lactation is over, but is 

 never entirely lost throughout life. These changes in the color of the areola are 

 of importance in forming a conclusion in a case of suspected first pregnancy. 



