1036 THE FEMALE ORGANS OF GENERATION. 



long axis is antero-posterior. Kolliker asserts that the truth lies between these 

 two views, and that the ovary is placed obliquely in the pelvis, its long axis lying 

 parallel to the external iliac vessels, with its surface directed inward and outward, and 

 its convex free border upward. His has made some important observations on this 

 subject, and his views are largely accepted. He teaches that the uterus rarely lies 

 symmetrically in the middle of the pelvic cavity, but is generally inclined to one 

 or other side, most frequently to the left, in the proportion of three to two. The 

 position of the two ovaries varies according to the inclination of the uterus. When 

 the uterus is inclined to the left, the ovary of this side lies with its long axis 

 vertical and with one side closely applied to the outer wall of the pelvis, while the 

 ovary of the opposite side, being dragged upon by the inclination of the uterus, 

 lies obliquely, its outer extremity being retained in close apposition to the side of 

 the pelvis by the infundibulo-pelvic ligament (page 1030). When, on the other 

 hand, the uterus is inclined to the right, the position of the two ovaries is exactly 

 reversed, the right being vertical and the left oblique. In whichever position the 

 ovary is placed, the Fallopian tube forms a loop around it, the uterine half 

 ascending obliquely over it, and the outer half, including the dilated extremity, 

 descending and bulging freely behind it. From this extremity the fimbrige pass 

 upward on to the ovary and closely embrace it. 



Waldeyer 1 states, as the result of the examination of fifty female subjects, 

 ranging from early childhood to advanced age, that the ovary " lies on the lateral 

 pelvic wall and vertically when the woman takes the erect posture." Its tubal 

 extremity is near the external iliac vein ; its uterine end is directed downward, 

 while the Fallopian tube overlies it so as to cover it on its medial face entirely or 

 nearly so. Its convex margin looks downward and backward toward the pelvic 

 cavity and rectum, while its straight margin or hilum lies laterally on the pelvic 

 wall attached to the mesosalpinx. He also finds that it lies in a distinct but 

 shallow groove (fossa ovarii) limited above by the hypogastric artery and 

 below by the ureter, in such a manner that the ureter lies along the convex 

 margin of the ovary, and the hypogastric artery passes near the hilum or straight 

 margin. 



Structure. The ovary consists of a number of Graafian vesicles imbedded in 

 the meshes of a stroma or framework, and invested by a serous covering derived 

 from the peritoneum. 



Serous Covering. Though the investing membrane of the ovary is derived 

 from the peritoneum, it differs essentially from that structure, inasmuch as its 

 epithelium consists of a single layer of columnar cells, instead of the flattened 

 endothelial cells of other parts of the membrane ; this has been termed the ger- 

 minal epithelium of Waldeyer, and gives to the surface of the ovary a dull gray 

 aspect instead of the shining smoothness of serous membranes generally. 



Stroma. The stroma is a peculiar soft tissue, abundantly supplied with blood- 

 vessels, consisting for the most part of spindle-shaped cells, with a small amount 

 of ordinary connective tissue. These cells have been regarded by some anatomists 

 as unstriped muscle-cells, which, indeed, they most resemble (His) ; by others as 

 connective-tissue cells (Waldeyer, Henle, and Kolliker). On the surface of the 

 organ this tissue is much condensed, and forms a layer composed of short connec- 

 tive-tissue fibres, with fusiform cells between them. This was formerly regarded 

 as a distinct fibrous covering, and was termed the tunica albuginea, but is nothing 

 more than a condensed layer of the stroma of the ovary. 



Graafian Vesicles. Upon making a section of an ovary numerous round trans- 

 parent vesicles of various sizes are to be seen ; they are the Graafian vesicles or 

 ovisacs containing the ova. Immediately beneath the superficial covering is a 

 layer of stroma, in which are a large number of minute vesicles of uniform size, 

 about Y-JTO ^ an ' nc ^ m diameter. These are the Graafian vesicles in their earliest 

 condition, and the layer where they are found has been termed the cortical layer. 

 They are especially numerous in the ovary of the young child. After puberty 



1 Journal of Anatomy and Physiology, vol. xxxii. 



