40 OBSTETRICAL ANATOMY. 



uterus. A rich venous network is lodged in the muscular tunic of this 

 organ. 



The mucous layer is a thin, delicate, pulpy membrane, covered by ciliated 

 columnar epithelium in the body and cornua of the organ, ordinary cylin- 

 drical squamous or stratified epithelium in the canal of the cervix, like 

 that on the intestines, and tessellated or squamous on the rugae of the cer- 

 vix. This differs from ordinary mucous membrane in the presence of a 

 very delicate sub-mucous connective tissue, in which the utricular glands, 

 blood and lymph vessels, as well as nerves supplying the membrane, are 

 situated ; for this reason its appears to receive its vascular supply directly 

 from the muscular coat, it vessels being continuous with those of that 

 layer. This difference is probably related to its irregular, though higher, 

 organizing function. 



On the cervix, the basement membrane covers multitudes of villi, the 

 points of which in woman are nipple-shaped, with a depression in the 

 centre ; within the cervix these villi are very large, but in the body of the 

 organ there are no villi. The membrane here is remarkable for the series 

 of longitudinal rugae formed on it, and which are not effaced by ordinary 

 distention of the organ ; though they disappear during the increase in 

 size of its cavity in pregnancy. On these rugae and in the fossae between 

 them, particularly towards the cervix, are a great number of simple mucus 

 and special cylindrical glands. The first are particularly abundant towards 

 the cervix ; some here and there have closed mouths, are enlarged, and 

 form small vesicular prominences, which have been named the " ova of 

 Naboth " {ovula Nabotht), from their supposed identity with the ovarian 

 ova. 



The cylindrical, uterine, or utricular glands {glandulce utriculares), are 

 situated close to each other ; they are sometimes bifurcated, frequently 

 spiral, and terminate in a cul-de-sac in the substance of the mucous mem- 

 brane, something like the agminate glands. In the Mare they are long, 

 slender, and tortuous, and divide repeatedly in the deeper part of the 

 mucosa, and in such a manner that numerous branching tubes are con- 

 nected with a single stem or gland-duct. They are lined by columnar 

 cells, which project vertically into the gland tube ; these cells have a ciliary 

 movement. The utricular glands do not exist at birth, and it is probable 

 that they are only fully developed when sexual maturity is reached. At 

 certain periods, as during cestrum, they throw out a large quantity of very 

 viscid, almost transparent, mucus. They are secreting structures, and 

 during gestation play a most important part, becoming largely developed, 

 and furnishing a thin, white, albuminous fluid, the so-called" uterine milk." 

 This secretion comes more particularly in contact with the intervillous 

 portions of the foetal placenta, in which are curious pockets that act as 

 receptacles for this milk, which is absorbed by the vessels on their walls. 



The uterus is supplied with blood by the uterine and utero-ovarian arter- 

 ies^ which arise from the posterior aorta, and passing between the layers of 

 the broad ligament reach the uterus. The first divides into two branches 

 — an ovarian and a uterine ; the former is very flexuous and goes to the 

 ovary, while the second passes to the cornua of the uterus, where its ulti- 

 mate divisions anastomose with those of the proper uterine artery. This 

 vessel, on reaching the smaller curvature of the cornua, also divides into 

 two portions — an anterior, anastomosing its branches with the utero- 

 ovarian ; and a posterior, spreading over the body of the organ and com- 

 municating with the vaginal artery. The blood is conveyed from the 



