FEMALE ORGANS OF GENERATION. 221 



sides into what is called the broad ligament, stretching 

 across the pelvis, as already seen, and forming a sort of 

 septum between the bladder and rectum. It is pyriform 

 in shape, convex posteriorly and flattened anteriorly, and 

 divided into a fundus, body, cervix, and os. 



The uterus may be laid open with the scissors, introduced at the 

 5, making a longitudinal incision to be afterward crossed by a trans- 

 verse one at the fundus. 



The substance of the uterus is composed of muscular 

 fibres. In its natural state, the muscular portion is seen 

 as a firm, compact, fibrous tissue ; in the impregnated con- 

 lition, this becomes hypertrophied and vastly more appa- 

 ?nt. The orifices of divided veins will be seen on the face 

 f the section ; these, in the pregnant uterus, are called the 

 inuses. 



The cavity of the uterus is lined with mucous membrane 

 mtinuous with that of the vagina ; it is triangular in 

 tape, and about the size of an almond j the base of the 

 iangle corresponds to the fundus of the organ, the fundus 

 >ing the broad portion surmounting the body, or central 

 >art. The cavity is constricted at the union of the body 

 rith the cervix, the cervix being the portion between this 

 mstriction and the mouth, or os uteri. The point of con- 

 viction between the cervix and body is sometimes called 

 os uteri internum. The canal of the cervix is slightly 

 lilated, and the oblique folds of the mucous membrane, in 

 lis part, have received the name of arbor vitae uteri. The 

 uteri, before parturition, consists simply of a rounded 

 ifice with thick lips ; after childbirth it becomes a trans- 

 verse fissure, the posterior lip of which is the longest. 



The uterus is supplied with blood from the uterine and 

 ovarian arteries. The uterine veins are large and numerous, 

 and form plexuses upon each side of the organ ; its nerves 

 are derived from the hypogastric and ovarian plexuses, and 

 from branches of the third and fourth sacral nerves. 



The appendages of the uterus are the broad ligaments, 

 the round ligaments, the Fallopian tubes, and the ovaries. 

 The broad ligaments, consisting simply of the two peri- 

 toneal layers covering the anterior and posterior uterine 

 surfaces, and then reflected upon the walls of the pelvis, 

 have been already referred to. 



The round ligaments are round cords of fibrous tissue 

 attached to the sides of the fundus uteri, which, passing 



19* 



