EXTERNAL ORGANS OF GENERATION. 



713 



cular structure (fig. 483. b and e), which has 

 been usually regarded as the constrictor of 

 the vaginal orifice, but which Kobelt considers 

 to be more particularly employed as a com- 

 pressor of the parts just named. This muscle 

 takes its origin in a broad flattened base (b) 

 from the perineal fascia midway between the 

 anus and tuber ischii. The inner fibres inter- 

 lace with those of the sphincter ani, while the 

 outer ones reach to the corresponding ascend- 

 ing ischial ramus. Thence the muscle be- 

 comes gradually smaller as it ascends, and after 

 embracing the entire length and breadth of 

 the vestibular bulb, it converges forwards to 

 meet its fellow at the clitoris, where it termi- 



nates in two little flattened portions of which 

 the posterior passes as a narrow tendon (fig. 

 483. d) to unite with its fellow between the 

 upper end of the bulb and the root of the 

 clitoris, while the anterior looser portion (c) 

 mounts over the dorsum of the clitoris, form- 

 ing the musculus attrahens clitoridis. This 

 serves to depress the organ and compress 

 the dorsal vein, at the same time that the 

 lower portion of the same muscle, by com- 

 pressing the rest of the vascular apparatus, 

 forces the blood out of the vestibular bulb and 

 pars intermedia upwards into the body of the 

 clitoris, and thus aids in producing congestion 

 and erection of all these parts during coition. 



Fig. 483. 



Anterior view of the parts represented in Fig. 482. (After Kobelt.) 



a, vestibular bulb ; 6, constrictor vaginas muscle, according to Kobelt the compressor of the bulb. It is 

 here represented as drawn back behind the bulb, which in the natural position is covered by it. c, an- 

 terior division of the muscle which passes over the body of the clitoris, serving to depress the organ, and 

 to compress the dorsal vein ; rf, posterior tendinous division of the same muscle ; e, pars intermedia ; f y 

 glans clitoridis ; g, veins proceeding from the nymphae ; h, dorsal vein of the clitoris ; t, branches com- 

 municating with the obturator veins; k, branches ascending to the epigastric veins ; /, obturator veins ; 

 m, corpus clitoridis ; n, crus clitoridis of the left side. 



Blood-vessels of the external organs. The 

 arteries are supplied by the terminal branches 

 of the internal pudics and from branches of 

 the femoral. 



The pudic sends off two branches : the 

 first, or lower (superficial perineal branch), 

 terminates in the labium after supplying the 

 sphincter vaginae and some of the perineal 

 muscles. The second, or superior, mounting 

 along the ischio-pubic rami to the division of 

 the crura clitoridis, sends off" a branch (artery 

 of the bulb] to the bulbus vestibuli, and then 

 separates into two terminal twigs, the one 

 (profunda branch) entering the cavernous sub- 

 stance of the clitoris, while the other forms 

 the dorsal artery of that body (fig. 48 1 . h}. 



The femoral supplies the external pudics, two 

 in number on each side, which arise by a 

 common trunk or singly from the inner side 

 of that vessel. The superior of these branches 

 (superior pudenda externd] arises near the cru- 

 ral arch and, passing inwards, sends off two 

 branches, one to the mons veneris and lower 

 part of the abdominal integuments, the other, 

 terminating in the labium, sends also twigs to 

 the nympha and preputium clitoridis. The 

 inferior branch (inferior pudenda externa), 

 arising a little below the former, or from the 

 profunda, passes obliquely towards the labium 

 in which it terminates, anastomosing also with 

 the superficial perineal branch of the pudic. 



Veins. The veins of the clitoris and the 



