ERUS.]

[Illustration: RETROFLEXION OF THE UTERUS.]

=The Hymen= [hymen in Greek--a membrane]. The external opening of the
vagina, in virgins, that is, in girls or women who have not had sexual
intercourse, is almost entirely closed by a membrane called the hymen.
The vulgar name for hymen is "maidenhead." The hymen may be of various
shapes, and of different consistency. In some girls it is a very thin
membrane, which tears very readily; in others it is quite tough. On
the upper margin or in the center of the hymen there is an opening
which permits any secretion from the vagina and the blood from the
uterus to come through. In rare cases there is no opening in the
hymen, that is, the vagina is entirely closed. Such a hymen is called
_imperforate_ (not perforated). When the girl begins to menstruate,
the blood cannot come out and it accumulates in the vagina. In such
cases the hymen must be opened or slit by a doctor. In some cases the
hymen is congenitally absent; that is, the girl is born without any
hymen. While the hymen is usually ruptured during the first
intercourse, it, in some cases, being elastic and stretchable,
persists untorn after sexual intercourse. It will therefore be seen
that just as the presence of the hymen is no absolute proof of
virginity, so is the absence of the hymen no absolute proof that the
girl has had sexual relations, She might have been born without any
hymen, or it might have been ruptured by vaginal examination, by a
vaginal douche, by scratching to relieve itching, or by some accident.

The remains of the hymen after it is ruptured shrink and form little
elevations which can be easily felt; they are known as caruncles.
[In Latin, _carunculae myrtiformes_, which means in English
myrtleberry-shaped caruncles; caruncle is a small fleshy elevation;
derived from _caro_, which in Latin means flesh.]

SUBCHAPTER B

THE EXTERNAL GENITALS

=The Vulva.= The external genitals of the female are called the
_vulva_. The vulva consists of the labia majora (meaning the larger
lips), which are on the outside and which in the grown-up girl are
covered with hair, and the labia minora (the smaller lips), which are
on the inside and which are usually only seen when the labia majora
are taken apart.

[Vulva in Latin means folding-door. The ancients Were fond of giving
fancy names to things.]

=The Mons Veneris.= The elevation above the vulva, which during
puberty becomes covered with hair,