Fig. 5.—Normal position of pelvic organs, seen from above and in front. They are enveloped in peritoneum. (Bougery and Jacob, in American Text Book.)
THE EXTERNAL GENITALS
The external genitals form the vulva. Under this name are included the mons veneris, the labia majora, the labia minora, the clitoris, the vestibule, the hymen and the glands of Bartholin.
The entire groove from the mons veneris to a point well up on the sacrum forms a deep fold or crevice, which is known as the genital crease. That part of the genital crease lying between the anus and vulva is technically known as the perineum (q.v.)
Fig. 6.—The external genitals. (Redrawn from Gray.)
The Mons Veneris.—The mons veneris is a gently rounded pad of fat lying just above the junction of the pubic bones (the symphysis). The overlying integument is filled with sebaceous glands and covered with hair at puberty.
The Labia Majora.—The labia majora are the large lips of the vulva. They are loose, double folds of skin extending downward from the mons veneris to the anterior boundary of the perineum and covered externally with hair. Normally they lie in apposition and conceal the vaginal opening. They correspond to the male scrotum.
The Labia Minora.—The labia minora, or nymphæ, are two small folds of skin and mucous membrane, that extend from the clitoris obliquely downward and outward for an inch and a half on each side of the entrance to the vagina. On the upper side, where they meet and invest the clitoris, the fold is called the prepuce, but on the under side they constitute the frænum.
The labia minora are sometimes enormously enlarged in the black races and are then called the Hottentot apron.