CONCEPTION. 
Jubilance Is fpongy, and they contain an indefinite num¬ 
ber of veficles of a dufldfh femi-tran(parent quality, the 
invofucra of which are diftinft, and iimilar to the general 
fubftance of the ovaria. Theie veficles are the feat of the 
ova, which contain the rudiments of the fcetus, and which 
mult abfolutely be impregnated with the male femen, be¬ 
fore it can be poilible for conception to take place. Now it 
has been, and itill is, the common opinion, that when vene¬ 
real embraces occur, the whole genital lyftem of the male 
being brought into aftion by libidinous delire and violent 
friftion, by this exertion the femen is thrown with confi- 
derable vehemence from the penis, and is either forced 
through the mouth of the womb, and attracted by the 
ovaria j or elfe, that it is received by the Fallopian tubes, 
and conveyed by them through a variety of convolutions, 
till by their fimbris it is conducted to the ovaria. The 
lemen is no fooner applied to thefe, than one or more of 
the ova are faid to be completely fecundated by it; and 
the fimbriae, (fill affefted by the venereal orgafm, are al¬ 
leged to apply thenrfelves vigoroufly to the ovaria, and 
inlfantly to fqueeze the ova from their Capfules. Thefe 
fimbriae next direft the ova into the fuppofed cavity of 
the tubes, and thefe again conduft them into the fuppofed 
cavity of the uterus, where the great and complete evo¬ 
lution is to take place : all which tedious and complicated 
procefs is alleged to happen in the infiant of coition.— 
See the female genital lyftem difl'eited, in the anatomical 
plate VI. vol. i. p. 624. 
Others fuppofe, that the internal orifice of the womb 
becomes open and pervious during the fexual embrace, 
and that the glans penis abfolutely pafs into the cavity 
of the womb, and ejeft the feed immediately upon the 
ovaria. To each of thefe theories, however, there appear 
infuperable objections. In refutation of the firft, we need 
only obferve, that the vagina, from its ftrufture, and 
from its organization in the aft of venery, is difpofed 
Itrongly, and in every part, to embrace the penis; and as 
the glans muft thereby be clofely furrounded, although 
the penis reaches not in every perfon to the furtlielt limits 
of the vagina, the flight and momentary impetus of the 
femen will thus be very effectually refilled, if not totally 
fubdued. If the male organ be not of magnitude fuffi- 
cient to occupy the vagina to its full extent, the unoc¬ 
cupied fpace muft be fomehow diftended ; and, let this 
vacuum be what it will, its refiftance muft be effeftual; 
and, if it be not diftended, the pow r er or preffure which 
occafions its collapfe will over-balance the impetus of the 
femen. But fuppofing the virile member in all cafes to 
be fo exaftly proportioned as to occupy the whole length 
of the uterine canal, which however we know is not the 
cafe, yet from what principle fliall we afcertain that the 
fiem.inal tube of the penis, and the apex of the womb, 
fhall be made fo exaftly to correfpond as to become con¬ 
tinuous? The femen, in the event of coition, is doubt- 
lefsly thrown out with fome force, though this force will 
always depend upon the vigour of the male organs, and 
therefore mult vary from the loweft to the higheft degree 
of vigour of which thofe parts can be fufceptible. But 
eveiy allowing the glans penis and apex of the womb to 
fall into exaft contaft upon due penetration, and that 
the male feed is always ejefted with confiderable force, 
and the vagina to be no barrier to the progrefs of it, yet 
how Is the penis to force its way into the cavity of the 
womb? The aperture which leads from the vagina or 
great canal into the womb, is in faft no aperture at all. 
During menftruation, indeed, it is pervious; but even 
then it is only capable of admitting a very fmall probe ; 
and this is no argument that it is naturally, and at other 
times, pervious. How often too has this aperture been 
entirely blocked up by preternatural obftruftions, and 
conception neverthelefs taken place ? Inftances of this 
have often occurred; and the precifion and authority with 
which they are recorded by different pradtitioners, leave 
no room to evade the argument. Hence this mode of 
impregnation appears not only highly objeftionable, but 
Vol. V. No, 243. 
utterly impoffihle; having no correfpondence with the 
human ftrudlure, or .with the economy of nature. 
After what has been faid, it may appear idle to profe- 
cute any farther refutation of the progrefs of the male 
feed by the Fallopian tubes, or through the mouth of the 
womb. But as authors of the greateft refpeftabiiity have 
believed in its progrefs through the tubes, and tell us 
they have feen it there, it may not be improper to enquire 
how far this is poffibie. The Fallopian tubes, through 
which the femen is faid to pafs, originate, by very minute 
perforations, through the fundus of the womb; and, in- 
crealing rapidly in their diameters, their capacities, when 
dilated, may be about the third part of an inch where 
they approach the ovaria. Here, again, they luddenly 
contraft, leaving only a fmall opening; while their main 
fubftance is ftill continued, and is expanded into that 
plaited or jagged fringe, called the fimbriae, which is con¬ 
tiguous to the ovaria. It may therefore be afked, by 
what law in nature, or by whar effort of it, is the male 
femen to be conducted through this conical and convo¬ 
luted canal ? Can the femen now polfefs any aftive force, 
to introduce itfelf through the rigid perforations of this 
organ, and to overcome the collapfe of the tubes? The 
ftimulating power of the femen muft foon be loft in a 
veil'd which it has not power to diftend; and we eannot 
fuppofe it capable of adting in a direftion completely op- 
pofite to what is the acknowledged office of the tubes. It 
muft be by.irritability that the ovum is conveyed into the 
uterus from the ovaria; and we know no veffels in any 
part of the body whofe aftion is double and contrary. 
This lyftem therefore favours of great improbability. But 
we are told by fome, that they have aftually feen the 
male femen in its unaltered ftate, lodged in the Fallopian 
tubes. But thefe fagacious authors, unacquainted with 
the experiments in modern chemiftry, did not know, or 
did not recolleft, that the human feed, when fubjedled to 
heat, efpecially to fuch a moift and natural heat as thofe 
parts conftantly afford, foon loles its fpiflitude and tena¬ 
city, and becomes very fubtilly fluid, and almoft colour- 
iefs. Befides, it is univerfally acknowledged, that a con¬ 
fiderable part of the femen is almoft always, immediately 
after coition, rejefted by the female. When we -attend 
to the many inftances of credulity and impofition in the 
theories of generation, we need not marvel at the aptitude 
and facility with which pretended difcoveries creep into 
notice, and the folemnity with which they obtrude them- 
felves into fyftems. 
All the foregoing arguments againft the poffibility of a 
pervious communication between the vagina and the 
uterus, are alfo conclufive againft the fuggeftion, that 
the penis in the aft of coition penetrates into the cayity 
of the womb. Nor is the affertion of thofe who contend 
that this orifice, by the turgidity of the parts during 
coition, naturally opens and dilates itfelf to receive the 
male feed, marked with the leaft degree of probability. 
How is this dilatation of the orifice to be effefted ? Though 
the whole uterine fyftem, during the venereal aft, be ren¬ 
dered turgid by animal defire and influent blood, yet it is 
more probable that this turgidity would rather comprefs 
than dilate the orifice; and the ftrufture and texture of 
the womb feem exceedingly unfavourable to fudden dila¬ 
tation by any means whatever. In an unimpregnated or 
virgin ftate, the womb is fo fmall that its fides coalefce or 
adhere together, and it has no hollow appearance what¬ 
ever; though, from the texture and elafticity of its fa¬ 
bric, it may be thrown into a globular form, which will 
conftitute a cavity. But in coition, with all its occult 
and uncommon phenomena, what charm have we left to 
overcome this coalefcence, and form this cavity, by 
opening or feparating the membranous fides of the 
womb? Willit here be faid, that the forcible ejeftion of 
the male femen will effeft this purpofe, or that the turgid 
ftate of the penis itfelf will force its way into a fabric fo 
remote and delicate? Though females may entertain 
farsguine ideas of tliefe things, we muft fuppofe that the 
C vigilant 
