OF THE SEXUAL ORGANS. 59 



An anterior region, which is slightly convex, its upper half being' 

 covered with peritoneum, and the remainder being in contact with 

 the basfond of the bladder; 2. A posterior region, much more convex 

 than the preceding, covered in its whole extent with peritoneum, 

 and separated from the rectum by a space or chink in which the 

 intestines may become strangulated; S. Three edges, one of which, 

 superior, convex, and smooth, corresponds to the fundus, and two 

 others, lateral, convex on their superior half, and concave be- 

 low, are lost, as it were, in the broad ligaments; 4. Three angles^ 

 the two first, superior and lateral, unite the three edges, and seem to 

 give origin to the tubes, the ligaments of the ovaries, and the round 

 ligaments; the third, inferior, far more important than the others, 

 is seen in the upper part of the vagina, and deserves very special at- 

 tention. 



It exhibits an orifice resembling a transverse slit, dividing it into 

 two lips, and has received the name of the /enc/t's mouth {os tineas). 

 Of these two lips, the anterior, which is thicker and broader than 

 the pos/enor, IS also, indeed, somewhat the longest. Nevertheless, 

 as the vagina ascends higher behind than in front, it seems when a 

 woman is carefully touched, that the posterior is longer than the 

 anterior lip. To this peculiarity, doubtless, ought to be attributed 

 the error into which many accouclieurs have fallen, who, not con- 

 tent with asserting that the anterior lip is the shortest, have also 

 represented it as being the thinnest in drawings which in other re- 

 spects were most carefully made. To convince any one of the pro- 

 portional length of the two lips of the neck, it is only necessary to 

 separate the womb from the vagina in the dead subject. It will 

 then be seen that the posterior lip is at the same time the thinnest, 

 the narrowest, and the shortest. However, this difierence is not 

 to be seen, except in women who have borne children. In virgins 

 the lips are very near to each other, and we can scarcely feel with 

 the finger the line-like slit that separates them; but it may be dis- 

 tinguished, as has been judiciously remarked by M. Dubois, by com- 

 paring the sensation produced by touching it, to that experienced 

 by touching the point of the nose with the end of a finger. Some- 

 times, however, instead of such a narrow slit, we meet with a cir- 

 cular orifice; a modern author has even taken occasion from this cir- 

 cumstance, to advance the opinion, that such is the natural arrange- 

 ment of the part: but this is evidendy an error. M. Desormeaux 

 tliinUs that this last mentioned form is particularly to be met with 

 in women who are not apt for fecundation; but this is an opinion 

 which requires to be supported by additional evidence. Besides, 

 we must take care not to confound this circular form with that which 



