712 



UTERUS AND ITS APPENDAGES. 



in a cul-de-sac. The vestibular follicles are 

 of the former kind and the urethral of the 

 latter. 



All these vulvar follicles secrete a viscid 

 mucus, the quantity of which becomes consi- 

 derably increased under excitement or irrita- 

 tion. It serves to lubricate the several parts 

 of the vulva. 



The vidvo-vaginal glands, termed also the 

 glands of Bartholin and of Duvernay, consist 

 of two conglomerate glands of the size of a 

 haricot bean, variable in form, and of a pale 

 reddish yellow colour, which are placed one 

 upon each side of the vagina near the entrance 

 (Jig. 480. g). They are lodged beneath the 

 superficial perineal fascia, having their inner 

 side united to the vagina by areolar tissue, and 

 their outer surface in relation with the con- 

 strictor muscle of the vagina. The lobules 

 composing this gland send off tubules which at 

 its upper and fore part unite to form an excre- 

 tory duct that proceeds horizontally forwards 

 as far as the vaginal orifice, upon the side of 

 which it terminates just within the nymphae 

 and externally to the hymen. The orifice of 

 the duct (d) is covered by a falciform fold of 

 mucous membrane, which renders its discovery 

 sometimes difficult. 



This gland secretes a viscid fluid resembling 

 somewhat the prostatic fluid and having a pe- 

 culiar odour. Under excitement its secretion 

 is rapidly formed and, like the contents of the 

 salivary duct, is sometimes emitted in a jet. 

 This gland is probably homologous with Cow- 

 per's gland in the male. In infancy and early 

 life it is very small, attaining its full develop- 

 ment in the adult, and again diminishing and 

 even disappearing in old age. 



When the labia and nymphae are abscised 

 a series of vascular erectile structures are 

 brought into view, which, together with a 

 special muscle, surround the vaginal orifice. 

 These are the vestibular bulb, pars intermedia, 

 and constrictor vaginae muscle. 



Pars intermedia. From the dorsal vein of 

 the clitoris (fig. 481. d) several branches (n,n) 

 pass downwards round the sides of the organ 

 to communicate with a double row of closely- 

 set venous canals, which commencing ante- 

 riorly at the glans extend backwards to the 

 root of the clitoris in the form of a frill that 

 completely occupies the angle contained in the 

 curvature of the organ (fig- 481. m and fig. 

 482. /). These venous canals enter the body 

 of the clitoris by a double row of apertures 

 along its under surface. They represent the 

 communicating veins between the corpus 

 spongiosum urethras and the corpora caver*- 

 nosa penis. After receiving branches from 

 the glans clitoridis (fig. 481. /), nymphae (r), 

 and labia (/;), they form on either side a 

 series of convoluted veins (), which spread- 

 ing downwards and outwards ultimately termi- 

 nate below in the bulb of the vestibule (fig. 

 482. and 483. ). This is the structure 

 termed by Kobelt the pars intermedia. It 

 corresponds with the corpus spongiosum ure- 

 thrae of the male, which in the female remains 

 divided into two halves. The arteries of this 



Fig. 482. 



Lateral view of the forepart of the pelvis, attached to 

 which are the clitoris and the vascular and erectile 

 structures connected with it. (After Kobelt.) 



a, vestibular bulb of the left side ; b, veins passing 

 off from the lower and posterior border of the bulb, 

 to the pudendal vein ; c, similar veins communica- 

 ting with the hamiorrhoidal ; c', the spot at which 

 the veins of the vestibular bulb pass off to the 

 vagina ; d, pars intermedia ; e, glans clitoridis ; f, 

 ascending communicating veins proceeding to the 

 body of the clitoris ; g and i, lateral communicating 

 branches between the vena dorsalis clitoridis and 

 pars intermedia ; h, vena dorsalis ; k, bend of the 

 clitoris ; I, crus clitoridis ; n, vulvo-vaginal gland. 



structure (fig. 481. </) are derived from the 

 pudendal. 



Bulbus vestibuli (Kobelt). Plexus retiformis 

 v. reticularis (De Graaf). Crura clitoridis in- 

 terna (Swammerdam). Plexus cavernosus 

 (Tabarranus). Corpus cavernosum (Santorini). 

 Semibulb (Taylor). Bidb of the vagina. 

 Lying one on either side of the entrance to the 

 vagina, and behind the nymphae and labia, are 

 two masses of vascular parenchyma, composed 

 almost entirely of tortuous veins enclosed in 

 a fibrous membrane. These in their collapsed 

 state are of the size and form of an almond ; 

 but when injected may be compared to a filled 

 leech (fig. 482. and 483. ). Anteriorly they 

 are directly continuous with the structures 

 last described, while from their sides commu- 

 nicating branches pass back to the obturator 

 veins (fig. 483. /), and from their lower ends 

 to the pudendal and hasrnorrhoidal veins (fig. 

 482. b and c). The bulb of the vagina, now 

 commonly regarded as the homotype of the 

 bulb of the urethra which is here bipartite, 

 forms the principal portion of the erectile tis- 

 sue surrounding the vaginal orifice. 



Constrictor vaginae. The clitoris together 

 with its bipartite pars intermedia and vestibu- 

 lar bulb is encased in a thin sheet of mus- 



