530 THE PHYSIOLOGY OF REPRODUCTION 



just as in the rabbit. It is supposed, therefore, that the in- 

 hibitory 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 dis- 

 tinct 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 



1 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 {he. cit.). 

 See also Dale, " On Some Physiological Actions of Ergot," Jour, of Phys., 

 vol. xxxiv., 1906. The effects of temperature upon uterine contraction were 

 first described by Eunge (M.) ("Die Wirkung hoher nnd neidriger Tempera- 

 turen auf den Uterus," Arch. f. Oi/nak., vol. xiii., 1878), who found that hot 

 water caused increased contraction followed by paralysis, while cold water pro- 

 duced 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 contraction, and experimental anaemia had no effect. 



" Fellner, " Ueber die Bewegungen und Hemmungsnerven des Uterus," 

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

 der Substanz des Uterus," Arch.f. Gyndk., 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 iiber die Unabhangigkeit der Kontraktinen der 

 Gebarmutter von dem Cerebrospinalnervensystem," Abstract in Biol. Oen- 

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



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

 Verhandl. der Phys. Oesell. zu Berlin, Anat. /. Anat. u. Phys., phys. Abth., 

 1884. 



