455 EEPEODUCTIVE ORGANS IN THE FEMALE. 



ment. The slight mtemiediate enlarg-ement, which some have called body, and 

 which is most to be seen before the process of formation is comi^lete, appears 

 to be due to the remains of the cell adhering to the head and tail, which have 

 extended beyond its confines. The nucleolus may be seen for a time within 

 the head. (Schweigger-Seidel, in Schultze"s Archiv. vol. i., La Valette St. George, 

 in Strieker's Handbuch. p. 539, Merkel, in Du Bois-Eeymond's Ai-chiv, 1871.) 



The vibratile or lashing motion of the filament belongs to the fully developed 

 condition of the corpuscle, and causes the progTessive eel-like advance when 

 floating in fluid. It is closely allied to ciliary motion, and. indeed, the spermatic 

 corpuscle may be regarded as in some measiu-e analogous to a uniciliated cell. 



The filamentous form and ciliarj'- vibratile movement belong to the fully 

 developed spennatic coi-puscles of by far the greater numlier of animals, extending 

 to the lowest as well as the highest in the scale. Exceptional non-filamentous 

 forms, with absence of vibratile motion occur in the Crustacea and nematoid 

 wonns, but the origin of the coi-puscles from spennatic cells is nevertheless the 

 same in these as in other animals. 



(Wagner and Leuckart, Ai-ticle " Semen " in Cyclop, of Anat. and Phys. ; 

 KoLliker in Handbuch.) 



REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS IN THE FEMALE. 



The reproductive organs in tlie female consist of the ovaries, nterns, 

 and Fallopian tubes, which are named the internaJ, and the vagina, 

 clitoris, nympha3, labia, and other parts included in the vulva, named 

 the external organs of generation. 



THE VULVA 



The vulva, or imdendum, is a general term, which includes all the 

 parts perceptible externally, viz., the mons Veneris, the labia, the 

 hymen or carunculas, the clitoris, and the nymphs. The urethra also 

 may be described in connection with these parts. 



Integuments and Labia. — The integument on the fore part of the 

 pubic symphysis, elevated by a quantity of areolar and adipose sub- 

 stance deposited beneath it, and covered with liair, is termed the mons 

 Veneris. The laljia pudendi (labia externa v. majora) extend downwards 

 and backwards from the mons, gradually becoming thinner as they 

 descend. They form two rounded folds of integument so placed as to 

 leave an elliptic interval (rima) between them, the outer surface of each 

 being continuous with the skin, and covered with scattered hairs, 

 whilst the inner is lined by the commencement of the genito-urinary 

 mucous membrane. Between the skin and mucous membrane there is 

 found, besides fat, vessels, nerves, and glands, some tissue resembling 

 that of the dartos in the scrotum of the male, to which the labia in the 

 main correspond. The labia majora unite beneath the mons and also 

 in front of the perineum, the two points of union being called the 

 anterior and posterior commissures. The posterior or inferior com- 

 missure is about an inch distant from the margin of the anus, and this 

 interval is named the perineum of the female. Immediately within 

 the posterior commissure, the labia are connected by a slight transverse 

 fold (frmnilum ])i(dendi), which has also received the name of fourcltetie, 

 and is frequently torn in the first parturition. The space between it 

 and the commissure has been called fossa navicularis. 



Clitoris. — Beneath the anterior commissure, and concealed between 

 the labia, is tlie clitoris, a -small elongated body corres])onding in con- 

 formation and structure to a diminutive penis, but difl'ering in having 



