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time of coition, in order to make it flow more easily through twoshort passages, which open into the urethra close to a little emi-nence called vermnontanum.
The Penis is the vehicle or active organ of procreation. It iscomposed of two columns, the corpora cavernosa and corpus spon-giosum. The former, which constitute the greatest part of the pe-nis, are two cylindrical ligamentous tubes composed of minute cellsof a spongy texture, w hich communicate with each other. Thesetwo bodies are of a verv pliant texture, and capable of considerabledistension ; and being united laterally to each oilier, occasion by thisunion, a space above, and another below. The uppermost ot thesespaces is tilled by the blood-vessels, and the lower one, which isthe largest, by the urethra and its corpus spongiosum, These twocavernous bodies are at tirst only separated by a partition of tendi-nous iibres, which allow them to’communicate with each other; butthey afterwards divaricate from each other, like the branch of atree, and diminishing gradually in size, are attached, one on eachside, to the inferior portion ot' the os pubis.
The Corpus spongiosum Penis, begins as soon as the urethrahas passed the prostrate, with a thick origin almost like a heart,tirst under the urethra, and afterwards above it, becoming gra-dually thinner, and surrounding the whole canal of the urethra,till it terminates in a considerable expansion, and constitutes whatis called the glans penis, which is exceedingly vascular, and co-vered witlr papilla like the tongue. The penis is invested by thecommon integuments, but the cutis is relleeted back from theglans, and covering it in a relaxed state, is called prepuce. Theprepuce is tied down to the under part of the glans, by a small li-gament called fnnium, which is in fact only a continuation of thecuticle and cutis.
The Urethra is a membranous canal, passing from the bladderthrough the whole extent of the penis, it affords a conveyanceto the semen, which we have observed is occasionally dischargedinto it from the vesiculx seminales.
The penis lias three pairs of muscles, the crectores, accelcra-tores, and transversales. Its arteries are chiefly derived from theinternal iliacs. Some of them are supposed to terminate by pa-buious orifices within the corpora cavernosa, and corpus spongio-sum ; and oLhers in veins. Its nerves are large and numerous.They arise from the .great sciatic nerve, and accompany the ar-teries in their course through the organ.
Anatomical writers usually divide the female organs of genera-tion into external and internal. In the first division they includethe 1110ns veneris, labia pudendi, clitoris, nympha’, and caruncula.’nivrtiformcs; and in the latter, the vagina, with the uterus, andparts connected with it.
The Mons Veneris is that considerable rising of fat which iscovered with hair, and situated above the fossa magna upon theos pubis. T he great doubling of the skin, on each side of therima, forms the labia; and within these there is a lesser doublingnamed nympha 1 . These help to close up the orifice of the vagina;and-also answer certain useful purposes in parturition.
Tlie Clitoris is a small spongy body, bearing some slight ana-logy and resemblance to the penis in men ; but it lias no perfora-tion. It begins with two crura from the ossa ischia, and unitingunder the ossa pubis, it proceeds to the upper part ot the nympha 1 ,where it ends under a small doubling of skin, called prieputium ;tlie end which is thus covered, is called glans.
The Vagina is seated between the bladder and rectum. Thetexture ot' it is membranous, and its orifice is contracted bymuscles, which act like a sphincter; yet tlie posterior extremityof it is sufficiently capacious. The inner or posterior extremityof this great canal surrounds tlie orifice of the urethra, a littleobliquely, in such a manner as that the upper side of the canalbos very near the orifice, and tlie lower side at a greater dist-ance from it; and this makes the extremity of the uterus appearto advance more into the canal, on the lower than on the upperputt.
The anterior extremity of the vagina in virgins, and especiallybefore the menses appear, is commonly bordered by circitu lnrin-branosi, or circular membranous folds, more or less smooth, andsometimes semilunar ; which, hi some subjects, leaves but a verysmall opening, but in others, a larger, and in all, renders the ex-ternal orifice narrower than the rest of the cavity. This fold,called hymen, is formed by the union,ot the internal membraneof the great canal, with that on the inside of the ala 1 , and repre-VOL. 1.— NO. 10.
sent* a membranous circle of different breadths, and sometimesuneven. This membranous circle is ruptured in coitu; quite lostin delivery, and afterwards only some irregular portions of it re-main ; which, from their supposed resemblance to myrtle-leaves,have been termed caruncuhe myrtiformrs,
The Uterus is seated at the termination of the vagina. In thevirgin state, it is about one inch thick, two broad, and largeenough to contain the kernel of a nut; but in women, that‘havehad children, it is larger. Its orifice into the vagina is called ostinea 1 , from the resemblance it bears to a tench’s mouth. It liastwo round ligaments, which go from the sides of it to tlie groins,through the oblique and transverse muscles of tlie abdomen, intlie same manner as the seminal vessels in men. It is by this waythat the gut passes, in a hernia intestinalis in women. Ik'ear theseare tlie ligamenta lata, which are nothing more than a duplicatin'! 1of tlie peritonreum.
Near the sides of tlie uterus, and attached to the ligaments, aretwo bodies, called Ovaria . These are of a depressed oval figure,about half tlie size of men’s testicles, and have spermatic vessels,They contain small pellucid eggs, from which circumstance theytake their name. There are two arteries and two veins which passto and from these ovaries or testes, in tlie same manner that theydo in men; but make many more windings, and tlie arteries dilatemore suddenly, in proportion as they are shorter.
Tlie Fallopian Tubes, (so named from Fallopius , who firstdiscovered them,) are two flaccid, conical, and vermiform canals ,situated transversely on each side of tlie uterus, between thefundus and the lateral parts of the pelvis, and included in the an-terior duplicatures of the ligamenta lata. Tlie body of each tubegoes a winding Course, and its large extremity is bent towardsthe ovaria. These large extremities terminate by a narrow orifice,a little plaited and turned towards tlie ovarium, where it pre-sently expands in the form of a membranous fringe, caller! Um-bria , or morsus diaboli, whose office is to receive tlie ovum in tlietime of coition, and convey it into tlie uterus through tlie fallo-pian tidies.
The Thorax , or Chest, is that cavity of the trunk which ex-tends from the clavicles, or tlie lower part of tlie neck, to thediaphragm, and includes the vital organs, which are the heart andlungs; and likewise the pleura, mediastinum, trachea, aisophagusand thymus; this cavity is separated from that of the abdomen,by a fleshy and membranous septum, called the diaphragm, itis formed by the ribs and vertebra: of the back, covered by a greatnumber of muscles, and by tlie common integuments, and ante-riorly by two glandular bodies called the mamma’. The spacesbetween the ribs are filled up by the muscular fibres, which fromtheir situation are called intercostal muscles.
The Mammze, or breasts, are two eminences, more or lessround, situated in the anterior and a little towards tlie lateral partsof tlie thorax ; their centre, or middle part, lying almost oppositeto tlie bony extremity of tlie sixth true rib on each side, l heirsize and ligure vary in the different sexes, and in. persons ofdifferent ages. In children of both sexes, and in males of allages, they are commonly no more than cutaneous tubercles, orsoft veniea: of a reddish'colour, called papilla’, or nipples; eachof them being surrounded bv a small thin, and pretty broad circleor disk, more or less of a brownish colour, and uneven surface,termed areola. In females who have arrived at tlie age of pu-berty, which is sometimes sooner, sometimes later, a third partis joined to the two former, which is a convex protuberance, moreor iess round, of about live or six lingers iu breadth ; tlie papillaand areola being situated near the middle of its convex surface.Tiiis is what is properly called mamma 1 ; and it may be termedthe body of the breast, which is partly glandular, and partly con-sists of fat; or it is a gland of the conglomerate kind, surroundedon all sides with cellular substance and fat, 'Tlie glandular part isdivided into little masses, separated also by fat, and again subdi-vided into small granuhe, from which the lactifemus ducts arise.'The ceilulous pellicula’ support a great many blood-vessels, lym-phatics, and lactiferous ducts, together * ith the small glandularmohcula’ already mentioned; all of iliem being closely sur-rounded bv two iuembraiii's continued from tlie pellicula-.
T ire Diai-hragm, or Midiuif, is chieily composed oj muscu-lar fibres; and forms a kind of vault, .the fore-part of which i cattached to tlie sternum. I-utterly it is fixed'to the la-t ot thetrue ribs, and to all tlie false ribs; and its lower and posterior part|| 2 P