Page:Structure and functions of the body; a hand-book of anatomy and physiology for nurses and others desiring a practical knowledge of the subject (IA structurefunctio00fiskrich).pdf/176

 *ing the lateral boundaries of the vulva. Within these labia again are two thin cutaneous folds, the labia minora or nymphæ, which run back from the clitoris for about one and a half inches and enclose the vaginal orifice. The clitoris corresponds to the penis and is just above the upper part of the labia minora. Between it and the vagina is the meatus urinarius. The orifice of the vagina is partly closed in the virgin by the hymen, a thin fold of mucous membrane, which occasionally closes it completely, imperforate hymen. The fourchette is a small transverse fold of skin at the junction of the labia minora posteriorly. Between the vagina and the rectum is the perineal body, a somewhat triangular structure made up of many small muscles. Its surface is known as the perineum. It is frequently torn wholly or in part during childbirth and has to be sewed up.