OCR Text |
Show 432 MR. W. A. FORBES ON THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT. [May 6, a secondary vagina (" the proper, or rather uncommon, vagina, which the penis cannot enter " ) , a corpus uteri, with two horns, and fallopian tubes and ovaries. The ovaries lie in pouches of peritoneum, attached by peritoneal folds to the kidneys : the one I examined resembled in form those figured by Mayer in the Indian species. It was a little over an inch long, and generally smooth, with only a few small lobular processes and erupted Graafian follicles near the line of attachment to the peritoneal pouch. The latter is continuous with tbe opening of the Fallopian tube, and is of considerable size : its walls are thickened by muscular fibres, prolonged into it apparently from the Fallopian tubes. The tubes are of small calibre, of the size of a crow-quill, about 3 or 4 inches long, and, after a tortuous course, open into the cornua uteri at the side of that tube, as well shown in Mayer's figure (/. c. pi. vi. fig. 2), The two cornua are about \ inch across at their commencement, and have very thick muscular and elastic walls. For the last 4\ inches of the course of the cornua they are united together (as seen in fig. 7) into a single tube, which is about 1 inch across at the point of junction. This tube is externally single; but nevertheless, on cutting it across, the two comparatively small cavities of the cornua are seen lying beside one another, but separated by a considerable septum. Without any difference in the external calibre of the tube, the two cornua open together into a common cavity 2\ inches long, which is the true " corpus uteri." At their opening each cornu admits a large knitting-needle. There is no valve of any kind at the opening. Both cornua and corpus are lined by smooth, longitudinally plaited, mucous membrane. A similar arrangement to that here described would seem to be indicated by Perrault's description : - " Ces cornes, au lieu de s'ecarter et de se separer comme elles font ordinairement, etoient jointes l'une contre 1'autre, montant jusqu'au hauteur d'un pied, et n'etant separes que par une cloison mitoyenne; ensuite elles se separent en deux branches." In his example (nearly or quite adult) each horn measured 2 feet 8 inches, and was 1| inch across at the commencement. The female genital organs he pictures on pi. 21 : this shows the conjoined cornua, which are separate till near their end, as seen in section. The next part of the genital organs is the dilated, sac-like, " secondary," or " uncommon," vagina. This is about 5% inches long, and is lined by smooth mucous membrane, with slightly raised longitudinal folds, running from the opening into it of the corpus uteri. This opening is small, only admitting the tip of the little finger, and is provided behind with an irregularly bilobed thick valve of mucous membrane. This constriction and valve undoubtedly represent the " os uteri." Perrault describes this " secondary vagina " as the " corps ovale ;" in his specimen it measured 18 inches by 6 inches, and was smooth and polished within. It is well shown in his figure (/. c. pi. 21) ; but the " valvule frangee aux embouchures des cornes de la matrice " is not quite like the valve in m y specimen. In the text he says, " Deux trous au dedans...etoient entoures par un appendice de la membrane interne. ..en maniere de la frange ou de pavilion." It would appear, then, that in his animal there was no " corpus uteri," such as that |