THE GENITOURINARY APPARATUS. 279 



In the virgin adult it measures about four inches in length, 

 one inch in width, somewhat larger in its middle. Its anterior 

 and posterior walls are in contact. 



Its lower orifice or entrance, is constricted by a crescentic 

 or circular fold of mucous membrane, the hymen. 



The upper extremity, or fundus, receives the cervix uteri, 

 extending higher up posteriorly (live to six inches), making the 

 anterior lip apparently the longest. 



The mucous membrane has numerous transverse folds, or 

 rugae, passing to either side of a median ridge, both anterior 

 and posterior, the columnce vaginae, formed by the coalescence of 

 the two tubes in fcetal life. Some of these rugae present wart- 

 like eminences, most numerous about the entrance of the vagina, 

 whore they form the carunculce myrtiformes, the remains of the 

 hymen after intercouse (or after parturition Budin). 



The walls of the vagina are about one line thick and con- 

 sist of three coats : 



Fibro-elastic coat; 



M u*cnl(ir coat, of unstriated fibres, elastic tissue and blood- 

 vessels, consisting of two layers, external longitudinal and in- 

 ternal circular, and about the entrance the internal circular 

 films form the sphincter rmjimi' (rii/t 1 Perineum) ; 



Miimiix or internal coat, containing numerous conical 

 papilla 1 , and covered by squamous epithelium. 



The arteries are from the vaginal, uterine, vesical, and 

 iniernal pudic. 



The rein* form an intricate plexus on each side with the 

 ret ii i-n ing vessels, corresponding to the prostatic plexus, and join 

 the internal iliac veins. 



The nerves arc from the hypogastric plexus of the sympa- 

 thetic, also the fourth and fifth sacral and internal pudic nerves. 



The mint, or pudem/nni, consists of the mons veneris, lahia 

 niajora and minora, clitoris, and meatus urinarius. 



The mons veneris is the prominence of skin over the sym- 

 physis puhis, supported upon a mass of adipose tissue, and cov- 

 ered with hair. 



The labia majora are two folds of skin bounding the vertical 

 fissure of the labia, the junctions of which in front and behind 

 form the anterior and posterior commissures. The labia corre- 

 spond to the scrotum in the male. 



Within the posterior commissure is a depression, fossa nuri- 

 rutitrix. which separates it from a fold of mucous membrane - 

 the fonrchette. 



The triangular space between the anus and the posterior 

 commissure is termed the perineum. 



