THE FEMALE EXTEKNAL GENITAL OKGANS. 



1325 



Glaus clitoridis 

 Frenulum clitoridis 



Labium majus 



Labium minus 

 Orificium uretlirse 

 externum 



Commissura 

 posterior 



The openings of the urethra and vagina are placed in the median plane, in the 

 interval between the labia minora, which must be separated to bring them into 

 view. 



Vestibulum vaginae. The vestibule is the name applied to the cleft that lies 

 between the labia minora and behind the glans clitoridis. In its floor are the 

 openings of the urethra, the vagina, and the minute ducts of the larger vestibular 

 glands. 



The fossa navi- 

 cularis is the part 

 of the vestibule 

 placed behind the 

 vaginal opening 

 and in front of 

 the frenulum 

 labiorum pudendi. 



The orificium 

 urethrse externum, 

 or external ure- 

 thral orifice, lies 

 immediately in 

 front of that of 

 the vagina, and 

 is about one inch 

 behind the glans 

 clitoridis. The 

 opening has the 

 appearance of a 

 vertical slit, or of 

 an inverted V- 

 shaped cleft, the 

 slightly promi- 

 nent margins of 

 which are in con- 

 tact. On each side 

 of the urethral 

 orifice there may 

 sometimes be seen 

 the minute open- 

 ing of the ductus 



paraurethr a lis FIG. 1035. FEMALE EXTERNAL GENITAL ORGANS. 



(see p. 1285). The frenulum labiorum is seen stretching across behind the fossa navicularis and in 



The orificium front of the posterior commissure. 



136, o. vaginal, 

 opening, lies be- 



hind and below the orifice of the urethra. The appearance of the opening 

 varies with the condition of the hymen a membrane which in the young subject 

 partly closes the aperture. When the hymen is intact the opening is small, and 

 is seen only when the membrane is put on the stretch. When the hymen has 

 been ruptured the opening is much larger, and round its margins are often seen 

 small projections carunculse hymenales which are to be looked upon as persistent 

 fragments of the hymen. 



The hymen is a thin membranous fold, partially closing the lower end of the 

 vagina, and usually perforated somewhat in front of its middle point. The posi- 

 tion of the opening gives the fold, when stretched, a crescentic appearance. The 

 opening in the hymen is sometimes cleanly cut, sometimes fringed. The membrane 

 is not stretched tightly across the lower end of the vagina, but is so ample 

 that it projects downwards into the rima pudendi, and the parts of its upper 

 surface are in contact with one another on each side of the opening. The 

 opening is thus a median slit whose margins are normally in contact. The upper 



The ducts of the larger vestibular glands open 

 in the intervals between the vaginal orifice and the medial edges of the labia 

 minora. 



