REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS IN THE FEMALE. 321 



Anteriorly the peritoneum does not cover the whole 

 uterus, but at the junction of the body with the 

 neck, it is reflected back over the bladder wall form- 

 ing the utero-vesical pouch. 



Structure. The histology of the uterus resembles 

 that of the Fallopian tubes, and the layer of the one 

 is continuous with that of the other. Embryologi- 

 cally, these two structures, and also the vagina, de- 

 velop from the Mullerian ducts, the uterus and 



Muscular is. 



Fig. 233. Diagonal section of the uterine mucosa. 



vagina representing the fused lower ends of Muller's 

 ducts. The whole uterus, including the epithelial 

 lining, is therefore of mesodermic origin. The uter- 

 ine wall is composed of a mucosa, muscular, and 

 serous layer. The Fallopian tube has a submucosa 

 which is absent in the uterus. 



The mucosa, or endometrium, is the inner layer and 

 is lined by simple columnar ciliated epithelium, 

 which at the external os changes to the stratified 

 variety of the vagina. It has a rich supply of 



21 



