THE FEMALE GENITAL TRACT. 



matous reticulum, in the meshes of which lie the nucleated decidual elements, or the 

 myxomatous basis-substance holds the remnants of the decidual corpuscles. Fibrous 

 connective tissue occurs mostly around the larger blood-vessels. Decidua vera is 

 further characterized by the presence of villosities in different stages of develop- 

 ment. 



(4) The Vagina and External Genitals. The mucosa of the 

 vagina is raised in folds (rugae), and in this situation papillae are 

 present, while in the furrows between the folds the papillae are 

 small or absent. The papillae are simple throughout the mucosa. 

 but compound at the height of the rugae and toward the vestibu- 

 lum. The loose connective tissue in the deepest portions of the 

 mucosa is dense, and somewhat looser in the outer layers. In the 

 mucosa, varying numbers of tymph-corpuscles are found, ar- 

 ranged sometimes in circumscribed follicular formations. The 

 covering epithelium is stratified, blending with that of the cervi- 

 cal portion of the uterus ; no glands are present. The muscles 

 are arranged in external and internal longitudinal and middle 

 circular bundles, united by numerous fibers running in oblique 

 directions ; they are more developed in the posterior than in the 

 anterior wall of the vagina. The outermost layers are composed 

 of coarse bundles of connective tissue, with numerous elastic 

 fibers. Blood- and lymph-vessels produce plexuses above the 

 epithelial cover and. below the muscle-layers, which themselves 

 hold a large number of veins. 



In the vestibulum the mucosa contains small, acinous, mucous 

 glands, which are more numerous around the opening of the 

 urethra and on the clitoris. The Bartholinian glands are also 

 larger mucous glands. The hymen is a reduplication of the 

 vaginal mucosa, gometimes very rich in blood-vessels and nerves. 

 The labia minora are characterized by the presence of numerous 

 sebaceous glands, which are absent in new-born children ; their 

 covering epithelium approaches the nature of the epidermis, 

 since the innermost scales are destitute of nuclei. The transition 

 of the mucosa into the external skin is completed on the labia 

 majora, which are rich in smooth muscles and fat. The clitoris 

 is covered by a mucosa, which, especially on the glans, is amply 

 provided with tactile corpuscles and nerve-bulbs. The construc- 

 tion of its cavernous bodies is similar to those of the penis. C. 

 G-ussenbauer, after careful study, states that the nymphae have a 

 delicate, cavernous vascular system. The erectile tissue of the 

 clitoris, according to him, is supplied with blood by small arter- 

 ies at the root of the clitoris directly, and by arterioles and a 



