As regards the anatomy of the generative organs of women in this and the preceding chapter, it has not been deemed necessary by the author to consider the subject in extenso, but to give a brief résumé, as better suited to the needs and wishes of the busy practitioner.
The generative organs of women external to the hymen, in their relative order from before backward, consist of the mons veneris, clitoris, vestibule, meatus urinarius, and orifice of the vagina, and the labia majora and minora on either side. All these are known under the name of pudendum or vulva.
The mons veneris is a rounded cushion of fatty tissue immediately over the os pubis, and from puberty is covered with hair.
The labia majora are two folds of skin extending longitudinally from the mons veneris to the perineum. In them are found all the elements of the skin. The subcutaneous tissue is of loose texture. A noticeable fact is that here the sebaceous glands are remarkable for their size, some of them being 0.5 millimeters in diameter and opening directly on a free surface. The labia majora resemble the skin of other portions of the body in that they contain papillæ, nerves, vessels, and Pacinian bodies. Internally they are lined with mucous membrane in which are numerous sebaceous follicles. A quantity of fat, areolar tissue, and tissue analogous to the dartos of the scrotum, including vessels, nerves, and glands, constitutes the contents of the labia, and gives them a rounded appearance, larger in front and decreasing in size toward the perineum. The extremities of these folds, joining together, form the anterior and posterior commissures of the vulva.
The labia minora, sometimes called nymphæ, are two membranous folds of erectile tissue within the labia majora, beginning at the anterior commissure and passing down and disappearing midway between the two commissures. They also contain sebaceous glands.
The clitoris is an erectile organ covered with mucous membrane, and is the analogue of the penis. It arises by two crura, is situated beneath the anterior commissure, and is partially concealed by the labia minora.
The vestibule and the fossa navicularis are triangular spaces on the mucous membrane, the first immediately posterior to the clitoris, the second anterior to the perineum.
The meatus urinarius is the external orifice of the urethra, and is situated in the vestibule about one inch posterior to the clitoris. The mucous membrane is slightly raised above the meatus, giving it prominence, and thus serves as a guide to the introduction of the catheter without exposing the person.
The orifice of the vagina is an elliptical opening just below the meatus urinarius. It is partially covered over in the virgin by a fold of mucous membrane called the hymen.