Love: A Treatise on the Science of Sex-attraction / for the use of Physicians and Students of Medical Jurisprudence

CHAPTER IV
THE FEMALE ORGANS OF GENERATION

Vulva.—The main female generative organs are entirely situated within the pelvis. The less important external organs are those comprised in the name vulva (derived from the Latin word valva, the folding door). When the woman is in erect position, the vulva runs horizontally from the mons veneris to the frenulum of the fossa navicularis.

Mons veneris.—The mons veneris is the name of the fatty cushion which rests upon the anterior surface of the symphysis pubis. After puberty, the mountain is covered with a growth of hair. In the female sex the hairs occupy a triangular area, the base corresponding with the upper margin of the symphysis. This sign is sometimes of value for the determination of the real sex of an apparent hermaphrodite.

Labia majora.—The labia majora are a pair of integumentary folds, extending from the mons veneris to the perineum, or the triangular partition between the anus and the vagina. Each labium has two surfaces, an outer one pigmented and covered with strong, crisp hair as on the mons veneris, and an inner one, usually lying in close apposition with its fellow. The fissure between the two labia is termed rima pudendi. The inner surfaces are moist and resemble a mucous membrane in appearance. The outer surface has the same structure as the skin. Beneath the skin there is found a layer of connective tissue, rich in elastic fibres and fatty tissue. The next layer is a dense mass of adipose tissue, which is supplied with an abundant plexus of veins. The labia are richly supplied with sebaceous glands.

Nymphae.—The nymphae or the labia minora, are two triangular structures which run parallel to the labia majora, from the clitoris to either side of the vaginal aperture. Their free borders are crenulated or lobed. The nymphae consist of thin folds of tissue, are smooth, and when protected, as in the child, of a pale rose color, resembling a mucous membrane in appearance. They contain numerous papillae and sebaceous follicles. Their interior contains connective tissue, some muscular fibres and erectile tissue. Hence they take part in the female erection. They are extremely sensitive, being abundantly supplied with nerve-ends. At the side of the clitoris, each nympha is divided into two lamellae. The two anterior lamellae unite at the glans of the clitoris and form the praeputium clitoridis. The posterior lamellae fuse at the back of the clitoris and form the frenulum. The nymphae diverge backwards and terminate in the middle of the rima.

Vestibulum.—The vestibule is the area inclosed between the two nymphae, extending from the clitoris to the fourchette. Some authors call vestibule only the space from the clitoris to the vaginal opening, the rest from the vaginal orifice to the fourchette is then called fossa navicularis. On either side of the vestibule, beneath the mucous membrane, embracing the urethra, are situated the vestibular bulbs, two pyriform, thick, erectile vein-plexus.

Bulbs.—The bulbs are under the influence and partly covered by the ischio-cavernosus and constrictor vagina muscles. The lower ends terminate at the middle of the vaginal aperture. Hence during the engagement under sexual excitement they help to narrow the entrance of the vagina. The anterior ends of the bulbs extend toward the clitoris and unite with the cavernous tissue of this organ.

Clitoris.—The clitoris is a small organ situated between the branched anterior extremities of the nymphae which furnish the praeputium and frenulum of the clitoris. It is rarely, even in the state of erection, larger than two centimeters. The clitoris consists of two crura, a corpus, and a small glans, which is rarely exceeding a small pea in size. The crura arise from the inferior surface of each ischio-pubic ramus of the pubic bone, and after fusing below the pubic arch form the body of the clitoris. The clitoris is sharply bent on itself, the glans looking downward and backward towards the vaginal aperture.

The clitoris is the analogue of the male penis, with the only difference that it is not perforated by the urethra. The latter opens into the vestibule, midway between the clitoris and vaginal orifice, and is surrounded by a fold of mucous membrane. The clitoris is equipped with two erectile organs, the corpora cavernosa, and two muscles, the musculi ischio-cavernosi, and is, therefore, very erectile. The clitoris is supplied with an abundance of delicate sensory nerve-ends, including the end-bulbs and the Pacinian and Meissner’s corpuscles, and is therefore extremely sensitive.

Bartholinian glands.—On either side of the vaginal orifice open the ducts of the Bartholinian glands. The two small glands are of the racemose type and not larger in size than a small pea. They are situated beneath the bulbs of the vestibule.

Hymen.—The vaginal orifice, in the virginal state, is partly closed by an imperfect septum, the hymen. The hymen is a fold of tissue, presenting a structure similar to that of the vagina. The fold is usually attached to the posterior vaginal wall. The hymen closes only incompletely the vaginal entrance, leaving an opening which varies in size from the head of a pin to a calibre which will admit the tip of one or two fingers. The opening of the hymen is, as a rule, semilunar and reaches the anterior vaginal wall. After defloration or sometimes only after the first confinement, the hymen is torn at several points and shows only remnants, the so-called carunculae myrtiformes.

Vagina.—The vagina is a musculo-membranous tube, extending from the vulva to the uterus. The lumen is only virtual, i. e., at rest the vaginal walls are in contact with each other, and the passage appears as a fissure, the latter assuming on a crosscut the form of the letter “H.” The walls of the vagina are composed of three coats, an exterior connective tissue coat, a thick muscular coat and a mucous membrane. The muscular coat comprises two layers of strong unstriped muscular fibres, the outer longitudinal, the inner circular. The latter, being more largely developed near the vaginal aperture, forms a part of the sphincter vaginae. The mucous membrane is covered with a pavement epithelium and is equipped with a great number of papillae, but is devoid of glands. The entire vagina is surrounded by a strong net of venous blood-vessels. The anterior vaginal wall is about seven centimeters long and presents at the mucous surface a median longitudinal ridge; the posterior wall is about ten centimeters long and has two ridges, from which a number of transverse rugae pass, the columnae rugarum. Only a small part of the posterior vaginal wall is in contact with the floor of the pelvis and is covered with peritoneum. The entire vaginal tube lies between the bladder and the rectum.

“Inter faeces et urinas nascimur”

laments the pious father of the Church. A part of the musculus constrictor ani surrounds the orifice of the vagina and is known under the name of constrictor cunni.

When the woman is in an erect position, the vaginal orifice looks directly to the ground, the course of the vagina being almost vertical, with a slight inclination from the front to the back toward the vaginal vaults. The vault or fornix is divided by the projecting cervix into two lateral vaults, an anterior shallow and a posterior deep vault.

Uterus.—The uterus is a hollow, pyriform, flattened, thick muscular organ. It is divided into the upper thick end, or fundus, the body, and the neck or cervix. The uterine cavity has somewhat the shape of a triangle, its basis corresponding to the uterine base. The uterine cavity communicates with the canals of the Fallopian tubes by two openings at the angles of the basis. The lower angle is continued into the cervical canal and opens into the vagina. The median part of the cervical canal is widened. The narrow opening into the cavity of the uterus is known under the name of os internum, while the opening into the vagina is called os externum. The uterine cavity is coated with a mucous membrane, covered with columnar epithelia of the ciliated type, which bears a great number of tubular glands.

The mucous membrane of the cervical canal shows a system of small folds, the arbor vitae. The covering of the cervical canal is also a high columnar, ciliated epithelium. The latter changes into a pavement epithelium at the external os.

The second uterine coat consists of non-striated muscular fibres. The uterus has no submucosa. There is an inner circular and an outer longitudinal muscular layer. The larger uterine blood-vessels lie chiefly between these two layers.

The cervix is composed mainly of connective tissue in which is found a large amount of elastic fibres. The cervix contains also erectile tissue of the same kind as the clitoris and the bulbs.

The entire uterus, as far as it is not situated between other organs, is covered with peritoneum. The anterior surface of the uterus is almost flat and is covered with a layer of peritoneum which is inflected upon the bladder at the level of the os internum. The posterior surface is convex and covered, in its whole extent, with a layer of peritoneum which is prolonged downward for a short distance upon the posterior wall of the vagina. The anterior and posterior peritoneal coverings unite laterally and form the broad ligaments.

The uterus is fixed in its place by the round ligaments. The latter are the continuations of the uterine tissue. They run between the folds of the broad ligaments and through the inguinal canals and terminate within the tissue of the labia majora.

The uterus is normally anteflected, the fundus lying forward near the symphysis, and the cervix to the rear. The average length of the uterus is about seven centimeters, the breadth is about four centimeters.

Fallopian tubes.—The Fallopian tubes are two serpentine, trumpet-shaped tubes, of about twelve centimeters in length. They lie at the upper margin of the broad ligaments, between the two layers of the same. The uterine half of the tubal canal is narrow, about three millimeters in diameter, and opens into the basic uterine angle; the distal half is of a width of about eight millimeters in diameter, widens into the ampulla and opens into the abdominal cavity. This opening is surrounded with fringes, one of which touches almost the ovary and probably furnishes the road the ovum takes to reach the tube.

The tube is composed of three coats, the outer peritoneal coat, the middle muscular coat, consisting of two layers—the outer longitudinal and the inner circular layer—and the mucous membrane coat. The latter is covered with a high ciliated, columnar epithelium. The ciliar motion is toward the uterine cavity. The mucous membrane forms a large number of plications in the adult.

Ovaries.—The ovaries are two flattened almond-shaped organs of about four centimeters in length and two centimeters in breadth. They lie on the posterior surface of the ligamentum latum, on either side of the uterus, with which they are connected by the ligamenta ovarii. The ligament running between the two lamellae of the ligamentum latum, leaves the latter through a fissure in the posterior lamella and enters the ovary at the pointed end, the so-called hilus. The ovarian ligament furnishes the fibrous tissue elements for the fibrous skeleton, the stroma ovarii. The vessels and nerves also enter the ovary at the hilus.

The ovary is covered with a cubical genital epithelium. The epithelia put forth solid nests of epithelial cells into the fibrous stroma. These nests represent the primitive ova. Some of these cells become larger and, surrounded by the other unchanged or follicular cells, are finally changed into permanent ova. The entire crust of the ovary, the zona parenchymatosa, consists of fibrous and epithelial elements. The interior part, the zona vasculosa, consists of fibrous elastic tissue and of non-striated muscular fibres.

Graafian follicle.—The ovum surrounded by the follicular epithelium is called the Graafian follicle. The ripe Graafian follicles lie usually near the periphery of the ovary. The Graafian follicle is bubble-shaped and is surrounded by a fibrous sheath, the theca folliculi. The cavity contains a light yellow fluid, liquor folliculi. The interior of the cavity is coated with several layers of follicular epithelia. This coat is called the membrana granulosa. The follicular epithelia form at one point a disc of cells, the discus oophorus, which includes in its midst the ovum.

Ovum.—The ovum is a modified cell with a membrane, called zona pellucida, a cytoplasm, called vitelus, a nucleus called vesicula germinative, and a nucleolus, called macula germinative.

At the time of menstruation the Graafian follicle bursts; the ovum thus freed, is taken up by the current, called forth by the ciliar motion of the tubal epithelia, and brought through the tubes into the uterus.

Nerves and their centres.—The centres of the female genital nerves are, just as in the male, six in number, three cerebral, two spinal and one in the medulla oblongata. There is, in the first place, the centre of voluptas or cupido, or the centre for the sexual instinct; secondly the centre for experiencing libido or pleasure, and thirdly the centre of inhibition, which under certain circumstances, as in fear, disgust, grief, etc., prevents the erection of clitoris, bulbs, and cervix. The inhibitory centre, however, plays a secondary rôle in the female. The two spinal centres are the centres of erection and of ejaculation.

The nerve-supply of the genitals is furnished by the spinal nerves and the nervus sympathicus. The lumbar plexus, formed by the four lumbar nerves, sends off the nervus ilio-inguinalis, the terminal branches of which are distributed in the mons veneris. The sacral plexus, formed by a part of the fourth and the entire fifth lumbar nerves and the four upper sacral nerves, sends off the nervus pudendus communis, which is distributed in the clitoris, as nervus dorsalis clitoridis and in the labia, as nervi labiales posteriores. The nerves of the vagina are derived from the hypogastric plexus, the fourth sacral nerve and the pubic nerve. The nerves of the uterus are derived from the ovarian plexus, and from the third and fourth sacral nerves. The nerves of the ovary are derived from the hypogastric, pelvic and ovarian plexus. The oviducts are supplied by the ovarian plexus. The nervi erigentes, distributed in the corpora cavernosa of the clitoris, in the bulbs and in the erectile tissue of the vagina and cervix, are derived from the hypogastric plexus.