ANATOMY. 
an Inch. The body of the tub® goes in a winding courfe, 
and their large extremity is bent towards the ovaria. 
The blood-velfels of thefe parts are of different kinds, 
viz. the hypogaftric arteries and veins, tlte ramifications 
of which belong chiefly to the body of the uterus ; the 
l’permatic veffels, and the two vafcular ropes, called liga- 
mcnta rotunda , which might be more properly termed the 
vafcular ropes of the uterus or of the ligamenta lata. The 
hypogaftric branches are arterial and venal ramifications, 
arifing from the artery and vein of the fame name ; which 
having reached the lateral edges of the uterus, are diftribu- 
ted to all its parts, both internal and external, forming a 
great number of incurvations and particular intertextures. 
The fpermatic velfels have nearly the fame origin in fe¬ 
males as in males, and likewife the fame courfe and inter¬ 
textures ; but they never pafs out of tlte abdomen, being 
wholly diftribitted to the ovaria and tubes; and they com¬ 
municate with the uterine hypogaftrics, and with.the vaf¬ 
cular ropes of the ligantenta lata: The veins are very large 
in proportion to the arteries, and thefe velfels fend out la¬ 
teral ramifications which feem to communicate with the 
meferaicae and vena portae. The vafcular ropes, common¬ 
ly called the round ligaments , are two long fmall fafciculi 
of'arteries, veins, and ligamentous fibres, interwoven and 
connected together by a fine cellular liibftance; and they 
run in the great duplicature of the ligamenta lata, from 
each corner of the fundus uteri, as far as the annular open¬ 
ings of the abdominal mufcles. 
The pubis is that broad eminence at the lower part of 
the hypogaftrium, between the two inguina, on which the 
hairs grow at a certain age. This eminence is owing to 
•a particular thicknefs of the membrana adipofa which co¬ 
vers the fore-part of the offa pubis, and home fmall por¬ 
tions of the neighbouring mufcles. The longitudinal ca¬ 
vity which reaches from the middle and lower part of the 
pubes, within an inch of the anus, was by the ancients 
termed finus \ and they called the lateral parts of the cavity 
alee, which is a more proper name than that of labia, com¬ 
monly given to them. The ake are more prominent, and 
thicker below than above. They are chiefly compofed of 
the fkin, cellular fubftance, and fat. The exterior (kin is 
a continuation of that of the pubes and inguina. It is 
more or lefs even, and furniflted with a great number of 
glandular corpufcles, from which a whitifh ceruminous 
matter may be exprefled; and after a certain age it is like- 
wife covered in the fame manner as the pubes. The inner 
lide of the alse is fomething like the red portion of the lips 
of the mouth ; and it is diftinguifhed every where from the 
external fide by a kind of line, in the fame manner as the 
ted portion of the lips from the reft of the fkin, being like- 
wife thinner and fmoother than the outward fkin. A great 
number of pores are obfervable in it, and alfo numerous 
glandular corpufcles, which furnifh a liquor more or lefs 
febaceous ; and thefe corpufcles are larger near the edges 
than in the other parts. 
Near tlte inner edge of the inner furface of the ake, on 
each fide of the orifice of the vagina, we find a fmall hole 
more vilible than the reft. Thefe two holes are termed 
lacuna:, and they communicate by two.fmall dtuSls with the 
fame number of follicular bodies lying in the fubftance of 
the alas, and which may be confidered as fmall proftates, 
anfwering to the glandukx- proftaticae inferiores in males. 
The other external parts are fituated in tlte finus, and hid 
by the ake. Direblly under the fuperior commiffure lies 
the clitoris, with its cover, called preeputium. A little lower 
is the orifice of the urethra; and below that is the orifice 
of the vagina, or great 1 canal of the uterus. The circum¬ 
ference of this orifice is bordered, either by a membranous 
circle called hymen , or by flelhy portions, termed carunculx 
myrt formes. On each fide of the clitoris begins a very pro¬ 
minent fold, like a crifta, which runs down obliquely on 
each fide of the orifice of the urethra. Thefe folds are 
termed nympho:, and they might likewife be named crifa 
clytoridis. The clitoris appears at firft fight like a fmall 
imperforated glans. Its upper and lateral fides are covered 
Vo l. I. No. 39. 
621 
by a kind of praeputium, formed by a particular fold of a 
portion of the inner fide of the ala;, which appears to be 
glandular, and to difebarge a certain moillure, and its in- 
fide is granulated. By dilfeiiftion, we difeover in the cli¬ 
toris a trunk and two branches, as in the penis, confiding 
of a fpongy fubftance, and of very elaftic coats, but w ith¬ 
out any urethra. The trunk of the clitoris is fuftuined by 
a ligamentum fufpenforium fixed in the fymphyfis of tlte 
olfa pubis, and containing this trunk in its duplicature, 
nearly as in the other fex. 
The nymplue, criftse clitoridis, or, as they may likewife 
be termed, alee minorcs five internee, are two prominent folds 
of the inner (kin of the great or external ake, reaching 
from the praeputiurn of the clitoris to the two tides of the 
great orifice of the uterus. They begin very narrow, and, 
having inoreafed in breadth in their courfe downw ard, they 
are again contracted at their lower extremity. They are 
of a fpongy fubftance, intermixed with glands, feveral of 
which may be perceived by the naked eye. Their iituatioa 
is oblique, their upper extremities lying near each other, 
and the lower at a much greater diftance. In married wo¬ 
men they are more or lets flaccid and decayed. 
By the urethra in females, we mean the urinary duff, 
the orifice of which is between the nymph®, below the 
glans of the clitoris. The body of the urethra is a fpongy 
dinSt of the fame ft mein re as in males, but much thorter, 
fituated direClly under the trunk of the clitoris, and above 
the great canal of the uterus, adhering to each of thefe ca¬ 
nals, between which it lies, by membranous filaments. It 
pafles under the cartilaginous arch of the ollit pubis, and 
terminates by tin oblique opening at the neck of the bladder, 
being bent a little downwards between its two extremities. 
The vagina, or great canal, formerly called the neck of 
the uterus, is fituated below the urethra, and above the ex¬ 
tremity of the inteftinum rectum, a little obliquely, being 
more railed on the inner and back-part than on the outer 
and fore-part. Its inner or pofterior extremity joins the 
extremity of the body of the uterus, and furronnds its ori. 
fice. The anterior extremity forms the great orifice, which 
lies under that of the urethra, and above the foflula of the 
inferior commiflure of the ake. Its inner or concave fur- 
face has feveral tranfverfe rugae, and is covered by a par¬ 
ticular membrane. The rug® are formed by oblong nar¬ 
row eminences, incurvated like portions of arches, placed 
very near each other, and difpofed in fuch a manner as to 
divide the cavity of the canal into an upper and lower fide. 
In general, thele arches are very confiderable in young per- 
fons; become gradually more fuperficial in married wo¬ 
men, and arc quite loft in time of delivery. 
The exterior or anterior extremity of the great canal 
in virgins, and efpecially before the firft eruption of the 
menfes, is commonly bordered by circular membranous 
folds of different breadths, more or lefs fmooth, and fome- 
times femilunar; which, in fome fubjedts, leaves but a 
very fmall opening, in others a larger opening; and, in all, 
renders the external orifice narrower than the reft of the 
cavity. This fold, called hymen, is formed by the union of 
the internal membrane of the great canal with that on the 
inlide of the ake, and reprefents a membranous circle of 
different breadths, and fometimes uneven. This mem¬ 
branous circle is commonly ruptured in the conlummation 
of marriage ; is quite loft in delivery, and afterwards only 
fome irregular portions of it remain; which, from their 
fuppofed refemblance to myrtle-leaves, have been termed 
carunculx myrt formes. This circle may likewife fuller fome 
diforder by too great a flux of the menfes, by imprudence^ 
levity, and other particular accidents. 
M E NS TR U A 77 0 N. 
The deferiptions hitherto given of the female parts, are 
in common to all ages of the fex ; but about the thirteenth 
year, or later, nearly at the fame time when femen begins 
to form itfelf in the male, confiderable changes are like- , 
wife produced in the female. For at this time the whole 
mafs of blood begins to circulate with an increafed force, 
7 T the 
