2/4 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY FOR NURSES 



dition known as imperforate hymen. At times it is 

 cribriform, or it may be entirely absent. The presence of 

 the hymen cannot, consequently, be considered as an 

 absolute test of virginity. Its rupture, or a rudimentary 

 condition of this membrane, gives rise to irregular eleva- 

 tions that surround the opening of the vagina. 



The Glands of Bartholin. These are situated one on 

 each side of the commencement of the vagina. They 

 are round or oblong bodies, of a reddish-yellow color, and 

 the size of a bean; each gland opens by means of a long 

 single duct, upon the inner side of the nymphae, external 

 to the hymen. 



The bladder, because of its proximity to the organs of 

 generation, is mentioned here. It is situated at the 

 anterior part of the pelvis, and is in relation, in front, with 

 the os pubis; behind, with the uterus, some convolutions 

 of the small intestine being interposed; its base lies in 

 contact with the neck of the uterus and with the anterior 

 wall of the vagina. The bladder is larger in the female 

 than in the male, and it is very broad in its transverse 

 diameter. A more exhaustive description of this organ 

 has been given in a previous chapter. 



THE VAGINA 



The vagina is a membranous canal extending from the 

 vulva to the uterus. It is situated in the cavity of the 

 pelvis, behind the bladder, and in front of the rectum. 

 In direction it is curved forward and downward, following, 

 at first, the line of the axis of the cavity of the pelvis, and 

 afterward that of the outlet. It is cylindric in shape, 

 flattened from before backward, and its walls are ordina- 

 rily in contact with each other. Its length is about 4 

 inches along its anterior wall. At its commencement it 

 is constricted, becoming dilated near the uterine extremity. 

 It surrounds the cervical portion of the cervix uteri, a 



