posture. It is then distinctly triangular. Between the sacrum and rectum, between the posterior wall of the bladder and the uterus, and between the supra-vaginal portion of the cervix and posterior vaginal wall, connective tissue in comparatively small amount is distributed (figs. 34, 39). Note specially that loose tissue separates the posterior vaginal wall from the anterior rectal wall as far as the apex of the perineal body where they are closely blended (fig. 35); that the urethra and anterior vaginal wall have no such loose tissue intervening, i.e., are closely united; while, as already stated, the anterior vaginal wall and posterior aspect of bladder are separated by tissue.

2. Lateral Sagittal Section.-By this section a specially valuable

Lateral Sagittal section of pelvis at junction of broad ligament and uterus. a Vagina with its walls separated; b Bladder; c Symphysis; d Broad ligament; e Ovary; f Fallopian Tube.

view is obtained. Fig. 45 shows an accurate drawing of such a section, just at the junction of the uterus and broad ligaments. It

should be noted that the amount of retropubic tissue is less than in the sagittal mesial one; that at the junction of the broad ligaments with the uterus there is a large amount of tissue with large blood vessels ; and specially that the finger placed in the lateral fornix vagina touches the base of the broad ligament there. This fact is valuable as to diagnosis. On section, the boundaries of the space between the broad ligaments are seen; superiorly the cut section of the Fallopian tube, anteriorly and posteriorly the peritoneum, and inferiorly the vaginal fornix. The assertion by Guerin and Le Bec as to the insignificance of the tissue here is not borne out.

Sections made nearer the side pelvic wall display specially the lessening tissue between the layers of the broad ligaments and show sections of the ovary.

3. Horizontal sections give results confirming those above stated. It is unfortunate that no good sections are as yet published. Pirogoff gives several, but these are not clearly defined in their connective tissue relations. Freund has published an admirable description of

Transverse section of Female pelvis at plane of hip-joints (Ruedinger). a Coccyx; b Ischiorectal fossa c Rectum; d Vagina; e Bladder; f Retropubic fat; g Hip-joint.

his preparations, but it is to be regretted that he has not figured them. The most valuable sections are those at the level of the supravaginal

portion of the cervix, which show the tissue lying here all round it. At fig. 46 we show a section from Ruedinger where the retropubic fat and ischiorectal cavities are well shown.

This is the best place to draw special attention to what Virchow first termed the parametric tissue. By this term he meant the loose fatless tissue (2 cm. thick), with abundant blood vessels and lymphatics, surrounding "the lower portion of the uterus and the upper portion of the vagina" (Spiegelberg). This is the parametric tissue proper. Some extend the meaning of the term parametric tissue so as to include all the connective tissue in the pelvis.

4. Coronal Section.-There has been published no frozen coronal section of the pelvis alone. Fig. 47 and Plate II. show Ruedinger's coronal

e Labium majus.

section of a female cadaver, but this displays little of the pelvic relations. This section will, however, be considered afterwards.

A useful diagram of a coronal section of the pelvis is given by Luschka. It shows well the relations of the cavity of the pelvis to the subperitoneal connective tissue and the ischiorectal fossa (fig. 48). These Luschka terms

(1.) Cavum pelvis peritoneale (Fig. 48, a),

Diagram of Coronal section of pelvis (Luschka). a Peritoneal cavity; b Subperitoneal cavity; c Ischiorectal fossa; d Uterus.

According to him the ischiorectal fossa communicates with the subperitoneal connective tissue by means of minute apertures.

b. Results obtained by injections of water, air, or plaster of Paris. The best summary of these results is given by Band to whom on this point we are indebted for much valuable information.

König in his researches employed the bodies of women who had died a short time after labour from non-puerperal diseases, and injected air or water. The following briefly are his results :-(1.) Water injected between the layers of the broad ligament high up in front of the ovary