70 
Sir Everard Home on the existence 
munication, to give some general account of the course of the 
nerves which supply the uterus of the mother, more especially 
as these are little known in the different classes of animals, 
even to those who are well versed in comparative anatomy. 
That some very important office is performed by the ute- 
rine nerves is evident from their number, the different sources 
from which they originate, and the various ganglia by which 
the filaments are connected with one another ; and that such 
a complex system of nerves is required for the well doing of 
the foetus in utero cannot be doubted, since they become en- 
larged during pregnancy. Mr. C^sar Hawkins has very 
kindly made the dissections necessary for this purpose, and 
I shall give in his own words the account he has drawn up 
of the distribution of the nerves connected with the organs of 
generation of the female in the human species, in the qua- 
druped, the bird, and the frog. 
“ The nerves of the human uterus are supplied from six 
different plexuses. The spermatic plexus within the abdo- 
men, the great hypogastric plexus between the common 
iliac arteries, and four within the pelvis, two of which are 
situated on each side of the uterus. All of these have the 
peculiar appearance of the sympathetic nerves, and they are 
intimately connected with all the other nerves of the viscera. 
“ The uterine nerves in the dog, cat, rabbit, and guinea 
pig, so nearly resemble those of the human uterus, that a 
minute description of them is unnecessary. The spermatic 
plexus is formed by branches of the renal plexus and two 
nearest lumbar ganglia of the sympathetic nerve ; it supplies 
the horns of the uterus, the ovaria, and apex of the urinary 
bladder. 
