24 Diseases of the Genital Organs 



neighboring organs and the genital tube is surrounded by 

 the intra-pelvic connective tissue, so that eventually the 

 peritoneum covers, in addition to the oviducts and uterus, 

 only the more anterior portions of the vagina. The fusion 

 of the two Muellerian ducts, to form the vagina and uterus, 

 destroys the contiguous median w^alls of the tubes as far as 

 they coalesce, and the adjacent tubes become a single canal. 

 The broad ligament of the uterus varies greatly in its form 

 and amplitude acording to species and the functional activity 

 of the genital tract. In the bitch, cat, and sow, in which the 

 anterior extremities of the uterine cornua remain through- 

 out the life of the animal about as far forward as the post- 

 erior border of the kidney, the broad ligame'nt maintains its 

 anterior attachment to the abdominal wall at or near the 

 point of origin of the ovary just behind the kidney; in the 

 ruminant, where the ovary and the anterior ends of the 

 uterine cornua are turned backward to the immediate 

 vicinity of the internal inguinal ring, the parietal attach- 

 ment of the anterior border of the ligament likewise moves 

 backward for a considerable distance so that the middle of 

 the recurved cornu tends to project forward beyond the an- 

 terior margin of the ligamentous attachment. When the 

 uterus of a quadrupedal mammal becomes gravid, the weight 

 of the fetus drags the occupied portion downward and for- 

 ward until the organ comes to rest upon the abdominal floor 

 in front of the anterior point of fixation of the ligament to 

 the abdominal wall. The genital tube is further maintain- 

 ed in its position by its attachment posteriorly to the vulva 

 and also by the round ligament of the uterus. 



The muscular walls of the genital tube are composed of 

 circular and longitudinal layers of pale fibres, varying 

 greatly in the different sections of the tract and also accord- 

 ing to whether the animal be pregnant or not. 



The mucous coat of the genital tract offers the greatest 

 possible variations and assumes widely differing and highly 

 important functions, according to the particular area con- 

 cerned. 



