THE VAGINA. 535 



Structure. The outer fibrous casing and the septum are alike in botli 

 penis and clitoris ; and in the interior of the clitoris is an erectile tissue, 

 like that in the male organ (p. 533). 



The bloodvessels of the corpus cavernosurn are like those of the penis ; 

 and the glans receives the ending of the dorsal artery (p. 408). 



The nymphce (fig. 186, ) (labia minora) are two folds of mucous mem- 

 brane, which descend from the end of the clitoris, one on each side of the 

 orifice of the vagina ; they are continuous above with the preputial cover- 

 ing of the glans, and extend down about one inch and a half. The inner 

 surface is continuous with the lining of the vestibular space and vagina, 

 and the outer, with the external labium. Bloodvessels are contained in 

 each fold. 



Vestibule and orifice of the urethra. Within the nymph*, between 

 the clitoris above and the vagina below, is an interval, about one inch and 

 a half deep, which is called the vestibule. In the middle line of the ves- 

 tibular space is the round orifice of the urethra, which is placed in a median 

 eminence about one inch below the clitoris, and near the aperture of the 

 vagina. 



Orifice of the vagina (fig. 186), and the hymen. The aperture of the 

 vagina is close below the meatus urinarius, and varies much in size. In 

 the child, and in the virgin, it is partly closed below by a thin semilunar 

 fold of mucous membrane, named the hymen. After the destruction of 

 that membrane small irregularly-shaped projections, carunculce myrti- 

 formes, exist around the opening of the vagina. 



Mucous membrane. The mucous covering of the external genitals is 

 furnished throughout with papillae, but these are largest on the labia minora 

 and the clitoris. Its epithelium is laminar. 



Sebaceous glands open on the contiguous surfaces of the labia majora 

 and minora, and beneath the prepuce ; and mucous glands and follicles 

 exist on the vestibule and the inner surface of the nymphee. 



GENERATIVE ORGANS. 



The generative organs are the uterus and vagina, and the ovaries with 

 the Fallopian tubes. 



Dissection. The viscera are now to be separated, so that the bladder 

 and the urethra may be together, and the vagina and the uterus remain 

 united. The bladder is to be set aside for subsequent use. The surface 

 of the vagina and the lower part of the uterus should be cleaned ; but the 

 peritoneal investment of the latter is to be left untouched for the present. 



THE VAGINA. 



The tube of the vagina is connected with the uterus at one end, and 

 with the vulva at the other (fig. 175, a ). It has a curved course between 

 the two points mentioned ; and the anterior and posterior walls are not 

 equal in length, for the former measures about four inches, and the latter 

 five or six. 



In the body the vagina is flattened from above downwards, so that the 

 opposite surfaces may be in contact, but the upper end is rounded where 

 it is joined to the uterus. Its size varies at different spots : thus the ex- 

 ternal orifice which is surrounded by the constrictor vaginae muscle is the 

 narrowest part ; the middle portion is the largest ; and the upper end is 

 intermediate in dimensions between the other two. 



