430 
PHYSIOLOGY. 
vanced to the age of twenty-one, wished to 
satisfy the desires of nature, but in vain, she 
having nothing but the vulva properly formed; 
a small canal about two lines in diameter oc- 
cupied the place of the vagina, and terminated 
in a cul-de-sac, an inch in depth. The most 
attentive examinations made by introducing 
a catheter into the bladder, and the index 
into the rectum, could not find an uterus.” 
In this instance, however, we are disposed to 
think that the defect was in the position and 
communication of the uterus, not in its total 
absence ; for, as opposed to this example, we 
remember to have heard a celebrated ana- 
tomist relate that he dissected a female, who, 
without venereal desires, though she lived 
some time beyond the age ot puberty, had 
every external and internal part of the uterine 
system in perfection, excepting the ovaria. 
“Nulla cupi'do est propter vitia organorum.” 
Hermaphrodism, in a proper sense, has 
never existed in man, nor even in the inferior 
.animals, the structure of whose genital organs 
are in the smallest measure analogous to man. 
An imperfection of organs, so as to render 
the sex doubtful, has, indeed, in some very 
few instances presented itself 4 but not, as in 
many of the lower order of animals and 
plants, a capability of self-impregnation. 
Some physiologists have endeavoured to 
trace an analogy between the sexual organi- 
zation of the male and female, comparing the 
ovaria of the latter with the testicles ot the 
former, the Fallopian tubes with the vasa. de- 
ferentia, the uterus with the vesiculae seaii- 
nales, the clitoris and vagina with the penis. 
These resemblances are in some measure 
correct: thus, the ovaria and testicles both 
secrete aseminal fluid, the Fallopian tubes and 
vasa deferentia both convey such fluid into 
appointed reservoirs — the uterus in the fe- 
male, and the vesiculae seminales in the male. 
The generative procees in man is effected 
by an elimination from the blood of the se- 
men by the testicles; the semen immediately 
upon its secretion passes through the semi- 
niferous ducts into the vasa deferentia, which, 
after entering the abdomen, terminate in the 
■vesiculae seminales, and there deposit their 
contents. These vesicles furnish reservoirs 
for the semen ; and we find those, animals that 
are destitute of them, dogs for example, con- 
tinue a long time in sexual contact, ou ac- 
count of the semen, secreted during the act 
of copulation, being directly transmitted from 
the testicles. As the semen in man passes 
through the prostate gland, it is mixed with 
the mucus which this gland secretes, and, thus 
mixed, enters the urethra to be ejected. 
With respect to the part which the female 
performs in the process of generation, the 
following questions have been proposed. 
“ Does the ovarium secrete a liquor, that, 
mixing with the male semen, produces the 
new being? or is there detached from it, at 
the moment of conception, an ovum which is 
vivified by the semen?” “ Whatever part,” 
says M. Rieherand, “ is taken in this dis- 
cussion, we shall be forced to admit that the 
ovarium prepares something essential to ge- 
neration since ‘its removal renders the femah 
sterile. It is doubtless, likewise,” continues 
our author, “ that this something furnished 
bv the ovaries, passes through the Fallopian 
tubes into the uterus, which receives one of 
their ext re ities, while the other, targe, ex- 
panded, and fringed at its marg'n, floats in 
the cavity of the pelvis, supported by a small 
duplicature of the peritoneum, but contracts 
on itself, is closely applied to the ovarium 
during coition, and then constitutes a direct 
channel between this organ abd the internal 
part of the uterus. The external orifice of 
the Fallopian tube, or its fringed parts, has 
been found closely investing the ovarium in 
certain females opened immediately after co- 
pulation. It may happen from some organic 
defect that the Fallopian tube cannot embrace, 
the ovarium. In dissecting a subject at La 
Charite, that had been sterile, I found the 
fringed margins, or expanded extremities of 
the tubes, adhering to the lateral and superior 
parts of the pelvis, so that it had been im- 
possible for them to perform their motions,” 
Although the semen is conveyed into the ! 
uterus, the penis does not actually enter this 
cavity; it is prevented by the smallness of 
the os tineas, and it would be difficult to con- 
ceive even five passage of the semen, “ if we | 
did not know that the uterus, during copu- j 
lation, is irritated, kept in agitation, and at- j 
tracts the semen by a real aspiration.” 
With regard to the theory of conception, the ; 
greatest obscurity prevails. Analogy with what 
is observed in inferior animals, furnishes the 
principal assistance to the physiologist in this . 
particular. It is well known that eggs laid 
by a hen 1 which has had no intercourse with 
the cock, are incapable ©f being hatched, al- : 
though they contain the rudim nts of the 
chick ; hence it has been inferred, and almost j 
demonstrated, that it is the office of the male j 
in general to“ furnish the vivifying principle; 
that is, to animate the individuals, the genus 
of which are produced by the female.” 
This fecundation of the ovum is supposed 
to be effected in the ovarium, the seminal 
liquor received into the uterus having passed 
hither through the Fallopian tubes. This last 
supposition, however, has not perhaps been 
fully verified. ~ 
In the ovaria, after each conception, a small 
body is found (corpus luteum), which Haller 
proved to be the remains of a vesicle rup- 
tured at the moment of conception, and per- 
mitting its contents to escape. The matter 
then which thus escapes, constitutes tfr germ 
of the foetus. It will be evident that the 
Fallopian tubes require to be pervious, in order 
that conception may take place. It is ob- 
served by Morgagni, that they are often 
closed in courtezans, in consequence of habi- 
tual excitement 
“ Semen, when examined by a microscope, 
exhibits animalcula with a round head and 
slender tail, tiiat move with rapidity;” hence 
th carious conjectures ofLewenhock, Boer- 
haave, Cow per, and others, that every part 
of the seminal liquor is capable of becoming 
a being resembling that from which it was 
formed. “ These animalcula pass in a cur- 
rent through the Fallopian tubes to the ovaria, 
where they enter into a violent contest, in 
wnich all are killed except one, which being 
left champion in the field of battle, penetrates 
into the ovarium destined to receive it.” 
According to th hypothesis of M. Burton, 
every part of the bouy furnishes its appro- 
priate raolecJasto compose thesemen; “and 
these atoms coming from the eyes, ears, & c. 
of the man and woman, arrange themselves 
round the internal mould, the existence of 
which he admits, believes it to form the base 
6 
of the edifice, and to arise from the male, if 
it should be a boy, and from the female, if a 
girl.” 
If it was necessary to -offer any. objection 
to this fanciful hypothesis, it would suffice to 
say that infants are often born perfectly or- 
ganized, the parents of whom have had de- 
lects in structure. 
For the history of gestation, delivery, &c. 
c onsull the article Midwifery. 
On ages, temperaments , varieties in the hu- 
man sptcies, §c. 
The last subjects treated of by M. llicTier- 
and, very little remains to be said of in the ' 
present place. 
Or infancy, its peculiarities and diseases, 
see the article Infancy. The process of 
dentition lor the most part commences to- 
wards the end of tiie seventh month, earlier 
or later, according to the constitution of the 
infant. T, 1 middle incisores of the upper 
jaw are the first to appear; shortly afterwards 
the incisores of the inferior maxilla; then 
the lateral incisors of the upper, afterwards 
of the under jaw; then the canine tenth in 
the same order; and between eighteen months 
and two years, but in the inverse order, the 
malares. This completes tire first dentition. 
Towards tire -end of the fourth year, two 
other molares come to he added,. These last 
remain during life, but the first teeth fall out 
nearly in the order of their appearance, and 
are succeeded by others larger and better 
formed. Towards the ninth year, two addi- 
tional large molares appear beyond the form- 
er ; and between the ages ot eighteen and 
thirty, two teeth perforate the gums at the 
extremity of the alveolar processes : these are 
the dentes sapiential. 
Each row of teeth exists at the same time 
in the maxilla: of the foetus, each alveola 
containing two membranous follicles. That 
which is to constitute the primary tooth first 
swells, a calcareous matter encrusts on its 
surface and forms the body of the tooth, by 
which the follicle is obscured which secretes 
the osseous part, so that when the small bone** 
is fully formed, the membranous vesicle on 
the sides of which the dental vessels and 
nerves are spread out, is in the centre of its 
body, and adheres to the parietes of its in- j 
ternal cavity. 
Ossification is effected by a deposit of 
bony matter, (which, as we have already ob- 
served, is principally formed of phosphat of 
lime,) in the centres of the cartilages, which 
gradually proceeds to their extremities or 
circumferences. Although ossification is some 
years before it is completed, there has been 
sufficient bony matter deposited in the car- 
tilages, to enable the child to stand and walk, 
in the course of twelve months, or less, from 
birth. “ The vital motions of infancy tend 
towards the head,” hence the frequency of 
disease in this part. 
Of puberty. In England the season of pu- 
berty is scarcely before the fifteenth year, 
sooner or later, according to constitutional 
variety. The principal marks of puberty in 
the male are th change of voice, which 
arises from a sudden dilatation of the aperture 
in the glottis, already spoken of. In females, • 
the menstrual discharge forms the chief index 
of the change alluded to. T his discharge is 
not a mere flow of blood as from ruptured 
