^ O F P U B E R T Y. 415 



the hiftory of man, to examine this favourite i- 

 dol which he adores, to confidcr the reafonable- 

 nefs of his worlliip, and to inquire whether Vir- 

 ginity be a real or a fabulous divinity. 



Fallopius, Vefalius, Diemcrbroek, Riolan, 

 Bartholin, Heifter, Ruyfch, and fome other ana- 

 tomifts, maintain, that the membrane of the hy- 

 men has a real exiftence, and that it ought to be 

 reckoned amon^ the parts of generation peculi- 

 ar to females. They aifert, that it is a flefhy mem- 

 brane, very thin in infants, but thicker in a- 

 dults; that it is fituated under the orifice of the 

 urethra, and nearly fhuts up the entrance of the 

 vagina ; that it is perforated by a round or 

 oval hole, fo fmall as hardly to admit a pea 

 during infancy, or a large bean at the age of 

 puberty. The hymen, according to Winflow, 

 is a membranous fold, fometimes circular, and 

 fomctimes femilunar, with an aperture of a fmal- 

 Icr or greater fize in diflcrent fubjeds, &c. On 

 the other hand, Ambrofe Pare, Dulaurent, De 

 GraaiT, Pineus, Dionis, Mauriceau, Palfyn, and 

 other anatomifts of equal authority with thofe 

 formerly mentioned, infift, that the membrane of 

 the hymen is a mere chimera ; that it is not na- 

 tural to young girls; and exprefs their aftonifli- 

 ment that any man fhould talk of it as a thing 

 which has a real and uniform exiftence. They 

 produce a multitude of experiments and oblcrva- 

 tions made upon fubjecls of dlnerent ages, in 

 which they could never difcover any appearance 



of 



