THE OVARY. 11 



^brane, and is covered externally by the peritoneum, bands 

 of which project from each side of it as the broad ligaments 

 (II, Fig. 162). Opening on the internal mucous membrane 

 are the mouths of closely set, simple or slightly branched, 

 tubular glands. 



The vagina is a distensible passage, extending from the 

 uterus to the exterior; dorsally it rests on the rectum, and 

 ventrally is in contact with the bladder and urethra. It is 

 lined by mucous membrane, containing mucous glands, and 

 outside this is made up of areolar, erectile, and unstriped 

 muscular tissues. Around its lower end is a ring of striated 

 muscular tissue, the sphincter vagina. 



The vulva is a general term for all the portions of the 

 female generative organs visible from the exterior. Over 

 the front of the pelvis the skin is elevated by adipose tissue 

 beneath it, and forms the mans Veneris. From this two folds 

 of skin (I, Fig. 163), the labia majora, extend downwards 

 :and backwards on each side of a median cleft, beyond which 

 they again unite. On separating the labia majora a shallow 

 genito-urinary sinus, into which the urethra and vagina 

 open, is exposed. At the upper portion of this sinus lies 

 the clitoris, a small and very sensitive erectile organ, resem- 

 bling a miniature penis in structure, except that it has no 

 corpus spongiosum and is not traversed by the urethra. 

 J?rom the clitoris descend two folds of mucous membrane, 

 the nympJicB or labia interna, between which is the vestibule, 

 .a recess containing, above, the opening of the short female 

 urethra, and, below, the aperture of the vagina, which is in 

 the virgin more or less closed by a thin duplicature of mu- 

 cous membrane, the hymen. 



Microscopic Structure of the Ovary. The main mass 

 of the ovary consists of a dense connective-tissue stroma, 

 containing unstriped muscle, blood-vessels, and nerves: it 

 is covered externally by a peculiar germinal epithelium, 

 and contains imbedded in it many minute cavities, the 

 Graafian follicles, in which ova lie. If a thin section of an 

 ovary be examined with the microscope many hundreds of 

 small Graafian follicles, each about 0.25 mm. (y^g- inch) in 

 diameter, will be found imbedded in it near the surface. 



