ANATOMY OF THE GENERATIVE ORGANS.
The Vulva; the Hymen; Condition, of the Hymen as a Proof of Virginity;
the Bladder; Vagina; Uterus; Respiratory Movements of the Uterus;
Fallopian Tubes; Ovaries.
"He that respects himself is safe from others;
He wears a coat of mail that none can pierce."
-- LONGFELLOW.
The Vulva.-- The female generative organs consist of three groups--
the external, the intermediate, and the internal. The vulva, or
external generative organs, comprises all those organs which are
external to the body.
The vulva is pierced by two openings, the smallest and most anterior
of which is the external opening of the urethra, or excretory duct of
the bladder. This opening is surrounded by a slight eminence and has a
somewhat puckered aspect.
The larger opening is the vaginal orifice. In the virgin this is
partially closed by the hymen. About one inch back of this is the
anus, or the external orifice of the large bowel. This part of the
bowel is known as the rectum.
The Hymen.-- The hymen consists of a thin duplicature of mucous
membrane strengthened by fibrous tissue, and is stretched across the
posterior part of the vaginal orifice, which it partly occludes.
Rupture of the hymen usually, but not always, occurs during the first
sexual intercourse. In rare cases it is found intact at the time of
the birth of the first child. In women who have borne children the
vaginal orifice is surrounded by small irregular elevations; these are
the remains of the ruptured hymen, but are usually present only after
labor has taken place, since the torn hymen is converted into
eminences as the result of the pressure incident to child-bearing, and
not to coitus.
The Condition of the Hymen as a Proof of Virginity.-- Formerly much
stress was laid on the condition of the hymen as a proof of virginity.
The hymen tightly closed, barely admitting the tip of a small
index-finger, is positive evidence of virginity. But the hymen may
lose its tone by a local catarrhal condition or by a general muscular
relaxation; it may then become so relaxed that the only positive
evidence rendered by the intact hymen is that the woman has not borne
a child.
In a paper on the preservation of the hymen, Dr. Hannah M. Thompson
writes: "Further, if the hymen was intended as a guarantee of moral
character, and for moral protection, either of man or woman, would we
not have some reason for reflecting on the wisdom and righteousness of
a Creator who has failed to make equal provision, and to give a like
guarantee of an uncorrupted manhood? As physicians, we know too well
that where one woman enters the marriage relation tainted in body
there are thousands of men reeking with disease; and there is no
demonstrable test to distinguish these, no proof for the young woman
of the virginity or virtue of the young man."
The Bladder.-- The female bladder is relatively broad and capacious,
and is also highly distensible. When the bladder is allowed to become
overdistended, it is carried backward and tends to cause a backward
displacement of the uterus. The urethra, or excretory duct of the
bladder, is about an inch and a half long, and lies firmly imbedded in
the anterior vaginal wall.
The Vagina.-- The intermediate organ is the vagina. This is a
musculo-membranous canal which connects the external with the internal
organs of generation. The vagina lies in relation with the bladder and
the urethra in front, and with the rectum behind. The vagina is
sufficiently distensible to allow of the passage of so large a body as
the child.
The Uterus.-- The internal organs of generation are the uterus, the
ovaries, and the Fallopian tubes. Of these, the ovaries and the uterus
are the essential female organs of generation. The virgin uterus is a
small, hollow, muscular organ, somewhat pear-shaped, whose cavity is
about one and a half inches deep. The uterus is divided by a natural
constriction into a body and a neck. The neck, or cervix, is somewhat
spindle-shaped, and has a canal running through its center which opens
by a small aperture-- the so-called external orifice,-- into the
vagina. In the virgin uterus the apposition of the anterior and
posterior walls reduces the cavity to little more than a longitudinal
cleft. With the advent of old age the whole organ suffers marked
atrophy.
The uterus is situated in the middle of the pelvic cavity, between the
bladder and the lower bowel. It is held in place by broad elastic
bands which go to different sides of the pelvis; it is also in part
supported by the structures below and above it. But so loosely is the
uterus held that it is easily pushed about-- as, for instance, by a
full bladder or a packed bowel. And persistently allowing the bladder
to become overfull, and failure to have a daily evacuation of the
bowels, are prolific sources of displacements of the womb.
Respiratory Movements of the Uterus.-- When no constrictions are
placed about the waist, the uterus moves freely up and down with every
respiration. So distinctly and with such regularity do these movements
take place that an operator by watching the movements of the uterus
can tell the effect that the anesthetic is having on the patient's
breathing. These so-called respiratory movements play a very important
role in the circulation of the uterus, and in the return of the venous
blood to the heart.
Anything which interferes with these movements, as the use of corsets,
or of tight bands around the waist, prevents the free return of the
venous blood. The uterus becomes congested, and through the constant
abnormal weight of the organ itself, as well as the pressing down upon
it from above of the superincumbent organs, the uterus is pushed down
below its normal position, the ligaments whose duty it is to hold it
up become relaxed, and the unhappy woman suffers all the agonies that
are attendant on the "falling of the womb." For this reason the
disorder is frequently met with in women who have never borne children
as well as in those who have.
The Fallopian Tubes.-- The Fallopian tubes extend from the upper,
rounded angles of the uterus, within and along the free margin of the
broad ligaments, for a distance of about two inches, to the vicinity
of the ovaries, where each one terminates in a funnel-shaped orifice
surrounded by a series of fringed processes. The lumen of the tube is
narrowest at its inner end, where it opens into the cavity of the
uterus by a minute orifice which scarcely admits a bristle; the
diameter of the canal gradually increases until it reaches its ovarian
extremity. The mucous lining of the tube is clothed by a single layer
of hair-like epithelium, whose current sweeps from the ovarian toward
the uterine end of the tube; and it is these movements which propel
the ovum from the ovary to the uterus.
The Ovaries.-- The ovaries are two small bodies of an almond shape,
and lie on either side of the uterus. The bulk of the entire organ
consists of connective tissue, in which lie imbedded the Graafian
follicles or ovisacs, in which the ova are contained. These follicles
or ovisacs are minute cells which are packed immediately beneath the
surface, where they occur in all stages of development. With the
increase in size which accompanies their development the follicles
pass toward the surface, where they form a distinct projection, and at
this point will occur the final rupture of the sac and the escape of
the ovum. It is supposed that the ovum is grasped by the fringe-like
extremity of the Fallopian tube and is carried through it by the
movements of the ciliary epithelium to the uterus.
The formation of new follicles continues only for a short time after
birth, when the Graafian follicles are the most numerous; the entire
number contained within the ovaries of the child being estimated at
over 70,000. In view of the unquestionably large number of follicles
in very young ovaries, and the relatively small number of ova which
reach maturity, the degeneration of many follicles after reaching a
certain degree of development seems certain.