tion are situated mostly within the body, in the pelvic cavity between the two principal organs of elimination—the bladder and the large intestine.
The generative system of woman is composed of the following important units:
a. Two glands—the ovaries—which produce, develop and discharge the ova, or eggs, when fully formed. These glands also produce an internal secretion (the sexual hormone), which exercises a remarkable influence over the development of the body as a whole from the time of puberty, controlling what is known as the secondary sexual characteristics of the individual.
b. Two ducts, the Fallopian tubes, or oviducts, which convey the ova or eggs from the ovaries to the uterus (womb).
c. The uterus, or womb, where the ovum, when fertilized by the male element, the spermatozoon, develops into a new being.
d. The vagina, the canal leading from the uterus which receives the male organ in copulation.
e. The vulva, the external parts in which are located the outlet of the vagina, and of the urethra—outlet of the bladder.
f. The mammary glands (mammæ)—the breasts—also properly form a part of the female reproductive system.
The Ovaries. The ovaries of the female—the egg- or ova-producing glands—correspond to the testicles of the male. In the adult woman, they are about the size of an almond shell, being approximately 1½ inches long, ¾ of an inch wide and ⅓ of an inch thick, and weigh from ⅛ to ¼ of an ounce.
They are situated in the upper part of the pelvic cavity, one on each side of the uterus. They are more or less enclosed within the fringed extremities of the Fallopian tubes, and are
