Borders—let. The superior border. It is free in the cavity of the pel vis, and is subdivided into three folds, the highest and middle one of which confines the tube, the anterior the round ligament, and the posterior the ovary.
2d. The external lateral border of the broad ligament touches the iliac fascia.
3d. The internal lateral border is attached to the lateral border of the uterus. To speak more correctly, the uterus is held between these liga ments, which separate to receive it. (See Fig. 44.) 4th. The inferior border of this ligament is divided into two laming, one of which passes forward, the other backward, and blends with the peritoneum of the floor of the pelvis.
The broad ligaments consist of cellular tissue, muscular fibres, Rosen organ, vessels, nerves, and connective tissue.
The cellular tissue is in large meshes, and becomes more abundant near the base. There it communicates with that of the sides of the vagina and rectum, also, through the sub-peritoneal layer of the pelvic walls, with that of the internal iliac fosse. In front and behind it is con tinuous with the peri-rectal and peri-vesical cellular layers. Finally, be hind, at the sciatic notch, it corresponds to the deep cellular tissue of the gluteal region. This layer is interspersed with fibres of connective tissue having some elasticity.
The muscular fibres form two extremely thin layers with smooth fibres, which cross in all directions, forming a transverse net-work. The ante rior layer unites to form the round ligament, and its most internal fibres are continuous with the superficial fibres of the uterus on its anterior surface. The posterior layer is continuous with the superficial fibres of the posterior surface of the uterus. These fibres pass outward, and are attached to the sacroiliac synchondrosis. • Rosenmiiller's organ (Fig. 43,) the parovarium of the Germans, is com
posed of fifteen or eighteen very fine tubes, which end in culs-de-sac point ing toward the hilum of the ovary. Situated in the middle layer of the broad ligament, between the ovary and the tube, they represent the ves tiges of Wolf's body. All these pass upward towards the tube, and empty into a canal parallel to that tube. These small tubes sometimes become the origin of a cluster of small serous cysts.
Vessels—The arteries are branches of the uterine and utero-ovarian arteries. The veins proceed from the superior part of the vagina, from the cervix and body of the uterus, from the round ligaments, from the tube, from the ovary, and from a large plexus, called by Richet the utero-ovarian plexus. Having few valves, they are often dilated and varicose. They form a true varicocele, which may become the source of peri-uterine hematocele, in consequence of the rupture of some varicos ities under the influence of intense congestion.
The lymphatics come from the uterus and its appendages, and pass into the lumbar and iliac glands.
The nerves are branches of the hypogastrie plexus and of the ovarian plexus.
• Functions of the Broad Ligaments.
They support the uterus, are opposed to lateral deviations, and prevent, according to Richet, flexion of the body upon the neck. During preg nancy they aid, through the separation of their fibres, the developement of the uterus; thus, at the end of pregnancy they are almost completely effaced.
Pajot describes the following properties of uterus in the condition of vacuity: 1st, extensibility; 2c1, contractility; 3d, organic contractility; and, fin ally, marked faculty of reaction upon the cerebrospinal system. We will see that these properties are considerably developed during pregnancy.