548 



UTERUS AND ITS APPENDAGES. 



Another and more accurate method of esti- 

 mating the bulk of the ovary consists in 

 weighing. The following are the extreme and 

 mean weights of five ovaries taken from 

 healthy adults : viz., greatest weight, 135 grs. ; 

 least, 60 grs. ; mean (of five examples), 87 grs. 

 On comparison of these results with Krause's 

 estimate of the weight of the testis, which 

 gives the mean weight of the male organ, also 

 in five instances, as 354'4 grs.*, it appears that 

 the ovary, though furnishing the larger portion 

 of the generative element in the act of repro- 

 duction, has an average bulk of less than one 

 quarter of that of the corresponding male 

 gland. 



Position and Connections. The ovar}' is so 

 intimately connected with the uterus, in whose 

 changes of position, both normal and ab- 

 normal, it necessarily takes part, that it can- 

 not be said to have any fixed or definite seat. 

 It is most commonly found lying somewhat 

 deeply in the lateral and posterior part of the 

 cavity of the true pelvis, concealed from view 

 by the small intestines, and in part covered by 

 the Fallopian tube of the same side. Rela- 

 tively to the uterus, the ovary is placed on 

 either side of that organ, at a distance varying 

 from 4"' to 18'", and behind and a little be- 

 low the level of the point of entrance of the 

 Fallopian tubes (fig. 368.)- 



Each ovary is invested by a layer of perito- 

 neum derived from the posterior lamina of the 

 broad ligament, to which the ovary is thus 

 attached by a kind of mesentery. 



Besides this indirect connection with the 

 uterus, through the intervention of the broad 

 ligament, the ovary has also another and more 

 direct attachment by the aid of its own proper 

 ligament (ligamentum ovarii), which serves to 

 bind it more securely to the uterus. (Fig. 

 368. w.) 



The ovary is further connected at its outer 

 extremity to the mouth of the Fallopian tube 

 by one of the processes of the pavilion, which 

 serves to keep the organ always in close 

 proximity to its excretory duct (fig. 368. n). 



The distance which intervenes between the 

 ovary and the uterus varies considerably on 

 each side, not only in different individuals, 

 but also in the same subject, where it is very 

 rarely found to be equal ; the right ovary, so 

 far as my observations have gone, being farther 

 removed than the left in the proportion of 

 nine out of twelve instances. 



During pregnancy, the ovary suffers fre- 

 quent changes of position. As the uterus ex- 

 pands, it carries the ovary along with it into 



* See art. TESTIS, Vol. IV. p. 976. 



the abdominal cavity, at the same time the 

 relative situation of these parts is mate- 

 rially altered, the fundus uteri gradually ex- 

 panding and rising above the former level of 

 the ovaries, whilst the latter appear to be 

 bound down more closely to the side of the 

 uterus, until at term their position is usually 

 found to be below the centre of that organ. 



COMPONENT PARTS. The ovary is com- 

 posed of, 1st, protecting parts, or tunics ; 

 2nd, a parenchyma, or stroma, in which are 

 imbedded ; 3rd, the proper secreting struc- 

 tures, in the form of closed sacs or vesicles, 

 containing the ova ; 4th, vessels and nerves. 



1. The Protecting Parts or Tunics. These 

 are two in number, and correspond precisely, 

 both in structure and derivation, with the 

 analogous coverings of the testis. 



The peritoneal covering (fig. 371. A) consti- 

 tutes the outermost of these coats, and consists 

 of the layer of peritoneum derived from thepos- 

 terior lamina of the broad ligament, which serves 

 to connect the ovary with the parts adjacent. 

 Except at its base, the ovary is so closely in- 

 vested by this peritoneal lamina, that no ef- 

 fort with the scalpel will suffice to detach it 

 from the tunic beneath. This intimate union, 

 however, of the two coats ceases at the base 

 of the ovary, where a white, irregular, and 

 somewhat elevated line is observed on either 

 side, extending in a horizontal direction, and 

 rising higher on the anterior than on the pos- 

 terior surface of the gland. In its intimate 

 texture, this covering of the ovary differs in 

 no respect from the peritoneum covering the 

 viscera generally. 



The tunica albuginea, or tunica propriety (fig. 

 37 1 . BB) constitutes the special or proper cover- 

 ing of the ovary. It serves to give form and soli- 

 dity to the organ, and to protect the ovisacs 

 and ova from injury. This coat has a nearly 

 uniform thickness of '", and forms a complete 

 investment for the ovary, except at its lower 

 border, where the fibres are either very thinly 

 scattered and interlaced, or are altogether 

 wanting, leaving a longitudinal space, termed 

 the hilum or vascular fissure, by which the 

 vessels and nerves enter the organ. This 

 space measures 3'" 4"' in width, and extends 

 along the entire base of the ovary. 



The tunica albuginea has been commonly 

 regarded as a more condensed portion of the 

 stroma, or parenchyma, of the ovary ; but 

 from this it is readily distinguished, not only 

 by its clear white colour, and dense and almost 

 cartilaginous hardness, but also by its micro- 

 scopic characters. On account of its extreme 

 toughness, this tunic is not very easily sepa- 

 rable into fragments sufficiently minute for 

 microscopic examination. But when small 

 portions have been so obtained, the margins of 

 the fragments exhibit numerous close-lying 

 and irregularly arranged fibres of developed 

 connective tissue, projecting from a dense, 

 structureless matrix interspersed with gra- 

 nules, which serves to connect the fibres to- 

 gether, and to which apparently is due, in a 

 great measure, the peculiar toughness of this 

 membrane, while its remarkable whiteness is 



