

THE VISCERA. 251 



downwards ; it lies in the centre of the small pelvis, between the 

 urinary bladder and rectum, above the Vagina, in a fold of the 

 peritoneum; very moveable. Direction: oblique from above 

 downwards, and from before backwards ; sometimes, but gene- 

 rally in pregnancy, from above downwards, and from right to 

 left. Dimensions : in the mature virgin two and a half to three 

 inches deep, six lines thick, above sixteen to eighteen broad; at 

 the neck six lines broad; weight: six to ten drachms. 



We distinguish the following parts: the base, fundus, the most 

 superior, broadest, and convex ; corpus, the central, longer ; collum, 

 the most inferior and narrowest portion, which passes obliquely 

 downwards and backwards, and projects with its rounded ex- 

 tremity freely into the Vagina. This vaginal portion, portio 

 vaginalis, in front six, behind five lines long, presents upon its 

 inferior uneven surface, the so-called os tincse, a transverse fissure, 

 that is, the external opening of the Uterus, orificium uteri ex- 

 ternum, which is bounded before by a thick and long lip (labium 

 anterus), behind by a thinner and shorter lip (labium post erius), 

 which are smooth in the virgin, but otherwise indented. The 

 anterior surface a little convex, covered as far as the neck by 

 peritoneum, is attached from the neck downwards by loose uniting 

 tissue to the fundus of the urinary bladder. The posterior surface 

 convex, entirely covered by the peritoneum, lies on the anterior 

 wall of the rectum. The superior border convex, does not reach 

 as high as the pelvic inlet. The lateral borders form, with the 

 superior of either side, an angle, where the tuba opens ; and under 

 that the lig. rotundum is attached. Ligg. lata adhere to them. 



The cavity, cavum uteri, is narrow ; and in the fundus and 

 corpus triangular; the apex leads into the cylindrical canal of the 

 neck through the internal mouth of the Uterus, orific. uteri in- 

 ternum. The walls are four to six lines thick, the thinnest (two 

 lines) at the place where the tubse are affixed. 



Structure of the Uterus. The parenchyma is grayish-brown, very dense 

 and firm, and consists of several layers of a very thick fibrous tissue, which 

 in the gravid state and in animals is regarded as muscular substance. It is 

 penetrated by numerous vessels (veins). At the collum we see only circular 

 fibres crossing at acute angles ; on the body and fundus a superficial layer of 

 longitudinal and oblique fibres, which converge to the lateral borders, and a 

 deep layer of circular fibres. In the unimpregnated uterus the fibres are 

 similar to the undeveloped of the Embryo. 



2. The mucous membrane, which lines the cavity of the uterus, is a con- 

 tinuation of that of the Vagina, but very thin, and firmly attached, beset M r ith 

 numerous mucous follicles, which, when filled, resemble vesicles (vesiculte s. 

 ovula Nabothi), and, in consequence of their capillary vascular rete, have a 

 red appearance. In the neck it is whiter, thicker, and presents on the ante- 

 rior and posterior wall longitudinal folds, which, from their conjoined trans- 



