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.