THE URETHRA. 



ischium, and joining opposite the symphysis ; to which they 

 are connected by a suspensory ligament. The body is from 

 half an inch to an inch long, rather curved, looks down- 

 ward from between the anterior commissure of the labia, 

 and from having some resemblance in its extremity to the 

 glans penis, is called the glans ditoridis. The clitoris is 

 covered by a fold of the mucous membrane, derived from 

 the upper part of the nympha?, and called prceputium dito- 

 ridis. In structure the clitoris resembles the corpora caver- 

 nosa penis, in having an exterior fibrous sheath, and an 

 interior spongy, erectile tissue. It is also supplied in pretty 

 much the same manner with blood-vessels and nerves, as 

 the penis, but, unlike the latter, is imperforate, and not 

 concerned in conducting the urine from the bladder. There 

 is also an erector muscle to this body, like the erector penis, 

 which will be described under the head of perineum. The 

 clitoris, like the nymplise, is large in the infant, and has 

 been seen elongated to the extent of one or two inches. 



The meatus urinarius is situated about an inch below the 

 clitoris, immediately above the vagina, and is always readily 

 detected by the presence of a small tubercle surrounding it. 

 This orifice is found in the small triangular depression be- 

 tween the clitoris and vagina, called vestibulum, and is the 

 external opening of the urethra. 



The female urethra is about an inch and a half long, pro- 

 ceeds backward and upward upon the upper surface of the 

 vagina, with which it is very strongly connected, passes 

 beneath the symphysis pubis, to which it is also attached 

 by the anterior ligaments of the bladder, and after forming 

 a slight curve, goes to terminate in the neck. This canal 

 is larger and more dilatable than the male urethra. It 

 consists of a mucous coat, continuous with that of the blad- 

 der, of a red color, having longitudinal folds, with numer- 

 ous mucous follicles, and of an external coat of condensed 

 cellular tissue, which is also elastic, erectile, and muscular 

 in its nature. 



The orifice of the vagina is directly below the meatus uri- 

 narius, and is bounded laterally by the nymphse. Its form 



