The uterus is a hollow organ ; but its cavity is so small in the impregnated state, and its sides are so thick and dense, that it feels like a solid fleshy mass. Its broadest and largest part, which is called the fundus, is situated directly upwards. The sin:diet. and narrower portion, term ed the neck, is downwards. 'rhe length of the organ, frotn the fundus to the end of the neck, is about three inches ; its breadth at the funclus about one inch, and at the cervix considerably less. It is si tuated within the cavity, included by the bones of the pelvis. The peritoneum passes from the bladder to the anterior surface of the uterus, and completely co vets the organ. It is extended froru the two sides otg .the uterus to the bones of the pelvis, forming. two broad dtiplira tures, called the broad ligaments of the uterus; each of which includes three *Is, named the appendages of the ute rus : viz. the ovarium, fallopian tube, and round ligament.
The cavity of •Ithe uterus opens into the posterior part of the vagina by an orifice, named the os tinca or os internwn uteri.
The round ligament of the uterus is a fibrous chord, passing from the fundus 441pi through the abdominal ring, and serving to aonfine this organ in its pro per situation.
The ovariumis an oval fleshy body, si tuated towards the posterior surface of the broad ligament. It contains some small watery vesicles, called °villa graafi ana, which are supposed to be the germs of the future beings, that are to be called into action by the stimulus of the male semen.
The fallopian tube is a convoluted ca nal, commencing. by a very minute orifice from the corner of the uterus, running along the upper margin of' the broad liga ments, and gradually increasing in size, till it ends near the ovarium by a broad trunifitt-slraped mouth, open to the ca vity of' the abdomen, and having an ele gant arrangement of plaits and fringes surrounding the aperture, whence it is often called the fimbriated extremity of the tube.
Male owns of generation.—The testes, or glands, which produce the semen, are contained in the scrotum,* bag formed of common integutnents, and hanging from the front of the pelvis between the thighs.
promincint line, called the raplie, runs along the middle of this, ancl divides it into two equal portions. The testes are surrounded and connected in their situa tion by a loose cellular substance. They are of an oval shape, and about equal in size to a pigeon's egg.. They hang from the abdomen by the spermatic chords, which consist of the arteries, veins, lym phatics, and excretory. tubes of the testes,
united by a cellular substance, and cover ed by a inuscle, called the cremaster, by the action of which the testis is occasion ally drawn up towards the belly.
The substance of the testis is covered by two membranous tunics, one, which immediately imests it, and is called tu nica albuginea; another, which surrounds this more closely, and forms a bag, in which the testis hangs, the tunica vagi natio.
There is a small body partly distinct from the testis, and placed behind it, called the epidiclymis.
The substance of the testis is found by dissection to be soft ; and it is composOd of a congeries of minute tubes, named tubuli seminiferi, wine* may be unravelled and separated by macerating in water, although they were previously connected into the appearance of a fleshy mass. The diameter of these tubes is estimated at I-211t/th of an inch; and the number of them at about 60,000. If they were joined together, they would fol.} tube of about 5U00 feet long. These tubes terminate ultimately in a single small canal, which, by Its innumerable turns and winding's, makes up the whole epididynds. If this could be completely drawn out, it would be about 30 feet long. It increases rather in size towards the end of the epididymis, and leaves that body in the form of a simple and unconvoluted tube, assuming the name of was deferens, and ascending along the back of the spermatic chord to the abdo men. It can be readily distinguished in that situation in the living person : it feels like a hard chord, about the size of a crow quill.
When the spermatic chord has efltered the abdomen, the vas deferens leaves it, runs along the back of the bladder, and opens into the commencement of the ure thra.
Vesiculz seminales.—Before the was de ferens terminates in the urethra, it is joined at an acute angle by the canal of the vesicula seminalis.
These vesicles are two soft bodies, ly ing in contact with the under-surface of the bladder, and formed, each of them, .by the convolutions of a single membran ous tube. An injected liquor thrown into the was deferens will pass into the vesi cola seminalis, rather than into the ure thra; for the opening into that canal is extremely small, while the communica tion with the vesicula is large and free. Hence it has been suppossd that these vesicles are reservoirs for retaining the quid formed in the testicles until it is wanted.