Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 19.djvu/914

* tJTE. 78 UTERUS. sheep, and cattle. Their ordinary dwelling wag a brush .shelter or small tipi. In their family relations the husband seems to have had more im- portance than among the Plains tribes. The Ute made their first treaty with the Government in 1850, and by various subsequent treaties were limited in range until the entire body, with the exception of the Southern Ute, were removed to the present reservation in Utah. In 1881 they were officially reported to number 3974. In 1901 the}' had been reduced to 2589, of whom 941 were on the Southern Ute Reservation in southern Colorado, the remainder on the Uinta Reserva- tion in northeastern Utah. Those in Utah were fairly prosperous, while the majority of those remaining in Colorado were in a miserable con- dition, owing to neglected treaty promises and the desert character of the land upon which they are compelled to live. See Plate of Amekican Indi.^xs, under Indians. UTERUS (Lat., womb), or Womb. A flat- tened, pear-shaped organ, lying behind the sym- physis of the pubes in the female human being, and constituting her principal generative organ. It consists of a body, a base or fundus, a neck or cervix, and a mouth. It lies in the line of the axis of the outlet of the pelvis (q.v.), •ath base directed upward and forward, and the neck di- rected slightly backward. In the unimpregnated condition it is about three inches in length, two in breadth, and one in thickness. On laying it open, or exploring its interior by the introduction of an instrument through the os uteri, its cavity is found to be very narrow, and to contain a lit- tle mucus. Its walls are nearly half an inch thick, and are mainly composed of muscle fibres running irregularly in all directions except round the OS, where they make a partial sphincter. This muscular coat, which constitutes the bulk of the organ, is covered externally with a serous RsterwrSurface ofVterus Islhnuis Tuie Utero-avariaji hiqameni' Parovdriuin f}i'nry FallopiafvTube UUro-ovarian,^ JjigaitijEnt Hjdaiul Fimbriated cnd-ofTtLbe RouTLdLi/fajnent 3rocLd Ligajnent 'Lateral angle ofUleruj Oviduct Cavity of Body ArborVtt/s Cavity oC Cervix VoffinoL Cavity 1, Uterus and broad ligament as Been from behind, the latter being sjiread out. The isthmus tube, the utero- ovarian lif^anient, and the round lip:ament of tlie left Bide have been cut short. 2, Sectional diagram of the uterine cavity as seen from the front. coat, derived from the peritoneum, and is lined internally by a mucous coat continuous with that of the canal called the rafjinn, by which the interior of the womb communicates with the outer surface of the body. The neck or cervix of the womb is distinguished from the body by UterUvc WaU Os internum VagirtcJ. Wall Os externum a well-marked construction. The mouth, or os, projects slightly into the vagina. This opening is nearly round in the virgin, and transver.se after parturition. It is of considerable size, and is named the os uteri cxteriiuin ; it leads into a nar- row canal which terminates at the upper end of the ccri-ix in a smaller opening, the os internum, beyond which is the shallow triangular cavity of the womb, of which it forms the lower angle, while the two upper angles, which are funnel- shaped, constitute the beginning of the Fallopian tubes, or oviducts, whose apertures are so small as only to admit the passage of a fine bristle. The blood-vessels and nerves enlarge in <a very remarkable way during pregnancy, so as to adapt themselves to the increased wants of the organ, which at the ninth month of utero-gestation weighs from two to four pounds. The name appendages to the uterus or adnexa is given to the Fallopian tubes and ovaries, which are inclosed by the lateral folds of the peritoneum called the broad ligaments. The uterus is suspended in the pelvic cavity in such a way as, by its mo- bility, to escape concussion from without or dis- turbance from the varying conditions of the sur- rounding viscera, while at tha same time to allow of its vastly increasing in bulk with com- paratively little discomfort when pregnancy occurs. This is effected by several reduplica- tions of peritoneum, containing variable quan- tities of fibrous and muscular tissue, and known from their form or connection as the brand, the round, the utero-saeral. and the utero-vesical ligaments. During pregnancy the uterus in- creases gradually to the end of the ninth month, when it contracts and expels the foetus. The organ then atrophies, contracts, and resumes nearly its initial size and shape. The chief functions of the uterus relate to menstruation (q.v.), insemination, gestation, and parturition. See Embryology; Fcetus; Obstet- rics; Ovary; Sterility; Uterus, Diseases of THE. UTERUS, Diseases of the. The causes of uterine disease may be divided into those which are ojierative before marriage, those which arise during married life, and those which depend upon child-bearing or its sequels. These causes thus embrace neglect of out-of-door life and physical development ; improper dress ; imprudence dur- ing menstruation; excessive mental strain: the prevention of conception and the production of abortion; the neglect of precautions after child- birth or the failure to rep.air lacerations occur- ring during delivery; disease communicated dur- ing sexual intercourse; and hal)itual constipa- tion. Utter disregard of weather or temperature during menstruation and a continuance of the nervous tension of study during this period are grave and undermining agencies. Too great ac- tivity after parturition in women heretofore un- accustomed to physical labor interferes with the normal de,generation of the enlarged uterus, a process requiring six weeks for its accomplish- ment. Tight bandaging, 'to preserve the figure,' results in bending the large uterus back into the hollow of the sacrum and fixing it in a displaced position, which is the reason for subsequent jiain, weariness, constipation, and nuich discomfort. The modern obstetrician is prepared to close lacerations immediately after delivery, to com-