REPRODUCTION 



569 





its lower end is a ring of striated muscular tissue, the sphincter 

 vagince. 



The vulva is a general term for all the portions of the female gen- 

 erative organs visible from the exterior. Over the front of the pel- 

 vis the skin is elevated by adipose tissue beneath it, and forms the 

 mons Veneris. From this two folds of skin (I, Fig. 154), the labia 



FIG. 154. The viscera of the female pelvis as exposed by a dorsiventral me- 

 dian section, s, symphysis pubis; v, v', urinary bladder; n, urethra; u, uterus; 

 va, vagina; r, r', rectum; a, anal opening; I, right labium major; n, right nympha; 

 h, hymen; cl, divided cilitoris. 



majora, extend downwards and backwards on each side of a median 

 cleft, beyond which they again unite. On separating the labia 

 majora a shallow genito-urinary sinus, into which the urethra and 

 vagina open, is exposed. At the upper portion of this sinus lies the 

 clitoris, a small and very sensitive erectile organ, resembling a 

 miniature penis in structure, except that it has no corpus spon- 

 giosum and is not traversed by the uretha. From the clitoris de- 

 scend two folds of mucous membrane, the nymphce or labia interna, 



