Front view of the Womb or Uterus, Ovaries, Falopian Tubes and the upper end
of the Vagina. One ovary is hidden by its natural membranes. Membranes
have been removed from the other. Front side of Vagina is cut away.

FIG 6.

But instead of manufacturing semen, the system is much the same as that of the testicles to ovaries develop little eggs or ova. (Singular ovum) the male.

And the ova of the female aid in reproduction in much the same way as does the semen of the male. This will be more carefully explained in the next chapters.

HOW THE OVUM GETS INTO THE WOMB.

THE FALLOPIAN TUBE.

But how does the ovum get into the womb, as the ovaries are quite a little distance from the womb and there is no direct path between them? Here we have another beautiful illustration of Nature meeting an emergency and accomplishing her purpose. Just above the ovary is a long hollow tube that extends from the womb outward. The outer

end of this tube is what anatomists call a fimbriated or finger-like extremity. At the proper time, the finger like extremity of the tube grasps the ovary and the ovum is deposited in the tube. If you should hold an apple or orange in both hands, it would be very much like the fimbriated extremity of the tube grasping the ovary when the ovum is be ing deposited in it. This tube, called the fallopian tube, conveys the ovum to the womb. On the inside of the tube are little hair like projections that are in constant motion and fan the ovum along towards the womb much like the hair in the nostrils fan out dust.

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL ORGANS.

Anatomists in describing the female sexual system, speak of the internal organs and external organs. Those already described are the internal sexual organs. The parts that may be seen on the outside of the body constitute the external organs. The most apparent of these are the Mons Veneris and the vulva or external lips, but these are not of sufficient importance in reproduction to require our further attention at this time.

THE VAGINA AND ITS RELATION

TO THE WOMB.

There is one more internal organ however, that must be described. It is called the vagina. It is a collapsed tube about four or five inches long that connects the vulva with the womb.

A collapsed tube is one in which the walls lie in contact but may be separated. If the gas should escape from a toy baloon it would be a collapsed ball and the toy whistles made partly of the same material are collapsed when air is not blown into them. A long tube of this material would be much like the vagina.

One end of the vagina forms a direct connection with the vulva, but the other end does not connect directly with the end of the womb, but unites a short

distance from the end, the womb extending into it. If you could place the stem end of a pear into a collapsed rubber tube and then cause the end of the tube to grow fast to the pear, you would have an excellent illustration of the connection between the womb and vagina. At a point corresponding with the stem in the pear, there is an opening into the

Left half of the female Urinary and Sexual organs, as seen from right side. They are represented as cut in two from before backward. The uterus or womb and the vagina are between the bladder in front and the lower end of the bowel (rectum) behind.

end of the womb called its os, or mouth.

This is the opening through which little babies pass from the womb into the vagina as they are being born into the world. Of course it must be a very large opening at this time; but when the womb.

The female sexual organs, front view, as seen from above, showing their location in the pelvis. The body is represented as cut horizontally across. I, womb; 2, ovary; 3, fallopian tube; 4, fimbriated extremity of fallopian tube; 5, bladder.

is not impregnated, the os is so small that a common slate pencil could hardly pass into it. But when a baby is to be born, Nature softens and otherwise prepares the walls of this opening so that the dilation often causes but little pain, especially to women who have never violated the laws of health.