It
seems desirable, therefore, to discuss them briefly at this point.
Our knowledge of the individual and racial variations of the
external sexual organs is still extremely imperfect. A few
monographs and collections of data on isolated points may be
found in more or less inaccessible publications. As regards
women, Ploss and Bartels have devoted a chapter to the sexual
organs of women which extends to a hundred pages, but remains
scanty and fragmentary. (_Das Weib_, vol. i, Chapter VI.) The
most systematic series of observations have been made in the case
of the various kinds of degenerates--idiots, the insane,
criminals, etc.--but it would be obviously unsafe to rely too
absolutely on such investigations for our knowledge of the sexual
organs of the ordinary population.
There can be no doubt, however, that the external sexual organs
in normal men and women exhibit a peculiarly wide range of
variation. This is indicated not only by the unsystematic results
attained by experienced observers, but also by more systematic
studies. Thus Herman has shown by detailed measurements that
there are great normal variations in the conformation of the
parts that form the floor of the female pelvis.
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