CHAP. XXXVIII.] NERVES OF THE UTERUS. 557 



rous glandular follicles, much resembling the follicles of Lieber- 

 kuhn, in the intestine. These follicles are lined with cylindrical 

 epithelium. They appear to form a little whitish mucous secretion. 

 In pregnancy, these glands are enormously developed; and we 

 shall consider the changes taking place in their structure, when 

 describing the alteration which takes place in the mucous mem- 

 brane of the uterus after conception. The mucous membrane of 

 the cervix uteri is gathered into deep folds, forming rugce, between 

 which are seen secondary rugae, with a few follicles opening be- 

 tween them. These rugse were described by the older anatomists, 

 under the terms plica? palmatce, arbor vitce uterinus, etc. 



In the mucous membrane of the neck of the uterus, are situated 

 the so called glandula, or ovula Nabotlii, which secrete the thick 

 mucus usually plugging up this part of the canal. These are 

 closed follicles, and it is probable, that, at certain periods they 

 burst, discharging their contents, and are succeeded by the deve- 

 lopment of new follicles. 



Surrounding the os uteri there are several tongue-like processes 

 of mucous membrane, the villi of the os uteri. Each contains a 

 vascular loop, and is covered with squamous epithelium.* 



The nerves of the uterus are derived from the hypogastric plexus. 

 According to Dr. Beck, the nerves spread out upon the surface of 

 the uterus itself are few in number, and consist of branches which 

 do not unite with each other so as to form a plexus. Dr. Lee 

 describes numerous ganglia connected with these nerves ; and his 

 dissections would appear to show that the uterus is much more 

 abundantly supplied with nerves, than is admitted by anatomists 

 generally. We are not, however, prepared to admit that the tex- 

 tures displayed in the elaborate dissections of Dr. Lee, are entirely 

 or even in great part nervous, or that the bodies which he has 

 represented as ganglia, are really of this nature. This anatomist, 

 like William Hunter, and Tiedemann, considers, that in the gravid 

 uterus the nerves become much increased in size; an opinion 

 which Dr. Beck has failed to confirm in his very careful and elabo- 

 rate dissections.f 



The ligaments of the uterus are described in works on descriptive 

 anatomy. They are the anterior and posterior ligaments, the 

 broad ligaments and the round ligaments. The two first being 

 merely folds of peritoneum, the latter a rounded cord about five 



* These villi have lately been carefully described by Dr. Tyler Smith, Med. 

 Chir. Trans., vol. xxxv. 



t Phil. Trans. 1846, part ii, 



