564 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION 



began again and a gradual relaxation followed. Cushny shows also 

 that the hypogastric contains inhibitory fibres, and in one exceptional 

 case (a pregnant rabbit) stimulation of this nerve induced pure 

 inhibition, the uterus ceasing to contract at all. Moreover, in the 

 virgin cat the effect of hypogastric stimulation was inhibitory, the 

 organ undergoing relaxation. On the other hand, in the cat during 

 ■pregnancy, or as a general rule after pregnancy, hypogastric 

 stimulation led to strong and immediate contraction just as in the 

 rabbit. It is supposed, therefore, that the inhibitory fibres prevail in 

 the virgin, but that during and after pregnancy the action of the 

 motor fibres conceals their presence.'^ 



Fellner^ states that the "nervi erigentes" are motor for the 

 longitudinal muscles of the uterus and for the circular muscles of 

 the cervix, but are inhibitory for the circular muscles of the uterus 

 and the longitudinal muscles of the cervix. According to the same 

 author the hypogastric nerves are motor for the circular muscles of 

 the corpus uteri and for the longitudinal muscles of the cervix, but 

 are inhibitory for the longitudinal muscles of the uterus and for the 

 circular muscles of the cervix. 



Dembo ^ has described a peripheral nerve centre for the uterus in 

 the upper part of the anterior wall of the vagina in the rabbit. 

 Stimulation of this centre produced a very distinct contraction of 

 both uterine cornua. 



According to Jacob* there is an inhibitory centre for uterine 

 contraction situated in the medulla oblongata. This assertion is 

 based on experiments upon rabbits, in which it was found that 



^ Cushny deals also with the action of various drugs on the uterus, and for 

 an account of this subject the reader is referred to his paper {loc. cit.). See also 

 Dale, " On some Physiological Actions of Ergot," Jour, of Physiol., vol. xxxiv., 

 1906. The effects of temperature upon uterine contraction were first described 

 by Eunge (M.) ("Die Wirkung hoher und niedriger Temperaturen auf den 

 Uterus," Aroh. f. Gyriak., vol. xiii., 1878), who found that hot water caused 

 increased contraction followed by paralysis, while cold water produced tetanus. 

 Helme {loc, cit.) obtained results which were mostly similar. Kurdinowski 

 also found that cold excited contraction to tetanus, and that long-continued 

 mechanical stimulation produced exhaustion. Asphyxia did not cause con- 

 traction, and experimental anaemia had no effect. 



^ Fellner, "Ueber die Bewegungen und Hemmungsnerven des Uterusj"" 

 Arch. f. Oynak., vol. Ixxx., 1906. Labhardt ("Das Verhalten der Nerven in 

 der Substanz des Uterus," Arch. f. Oynak., vol. Ixxx., 1906) describes an 

 extensive system of nerves in the uterus of man and of the rabbit, the 

 main trunks lying between the middle layer of muscles and giving off intra- 

 fascicular bundles. Keiffer {Bull. Soc. d'Obstet., Paris, 1908, Nos. 2 and 3) 

 describes sympathetic ganglia in the uterine and vaginal walls in the course 

 of the large nerves coming from the hypogastric plexus. 



^ Dembo, "Zur Frage uber die Unabhangigkeit der Kontraktinen der 

 Gebarmutter von dem Cerebrospinalnervensystem," Abstract in Biol. Gentralhl., 

 vol. iv., 1885. (The original is in Russian.) 



* Jacob, "Ueber die Ehythmischen Bewegungen des Kaninchenuterus," 

 Verhandl. der Phys. Gesell. zu Berlin, Arch. f. Anat. u. Phys., Phys. Abth.^ 

 1884. 



