^2 VETERINARY OBSTETRICS. 



-are longitudinal. These folds assist in enlarging the 

 cavity at the period of parturition, and become oblite- 

 rated then. 



Anteriorly the vagina receives into it the cervix 

 or neck of the uterus, which is projected some distance 

 into its cavity, and has its walls thrown into a number 

 of folds or ridges. 



In the walls of the vagina in the Cow, and 

 sometimes also in the Mare, are' found the canals of 

 Gaertner, which are believed to perform a function in 

 foetal life. By one extremity these canals open into the 

 vulva at the lateral aspect of the meatus, and by their 

 other extremity they terminate in a blind cavity in the 

 -walls of the uterus. 



The Uterus. 



This is the most important female organ of 

 reproduction, and is the cavity in which the healthy or 

 normal development of the foetus takes place, and 

 where it is retained and nourished until it is able to 

 maintain an independent existence outside of the body. 

 This organ is divided into a body and two horns. The 

 horns are situated anteriorly, and are slightly curved on 

 themselves, presenting inferiorly a concave curvature 

 in the Cow, and a convex one in the Mare. The 

 internal cavity of the uterus, like the external, is also 

 divided into a body and two horns, but in the non- 

 pregnant animal, the horns are only very rudimentary, 

 and become enlarged to accommodate the foetus after 

 impregnation and growth take place. The walls of the 

 xiterus and horns are formed of three distinct layers. 



