Page:Fielding - Sex and the Love Life.pdf/100

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SEX AND THE LOVE-LIFE

joined with the sacrum at each side in an immovable joint.

The inner surface of the hip-bones in the normal, upright position of the woman, make, together with the sacrum, a basin-shaped and almost circular bony foundation for the generative organs to rest upon. In front, the two hip-bones meet in an immovable junction—the symphysis pubis.

There is considerable difference between the male and female pelvis. The latter is shallower and wider and less massive. The margin of the bones are more widely separated, giving greater prominence to the hips, which is a very noticeable female characteristic, and contributes much to the grace and physical charm of femininity.

The biological reason for this, however, is to permit the child's head to pass through the pelvis at birth. If the female pelvis were patterned exactly after the male pelvis, it would be impossible for a full-term living baby to pass through it. Women with an extremely small, or deformed pelvis, are not fitted to bear children.

The Mammary Glands. The mammary glands, or breasts, are accessory organs of the female reproductive system. They are rudimentary before puberty, being practically the same as in boys. But beginning with puberty, they undergo the quick transformation characteristic of the sexual organs at this period, and increase in size. They grow larger during pregnancy, and are largest during the nursing period. Among civilized races, the shape is hemispherical, but among savages it is more conical, or pointed.

The increased size at this time is due principally to the growth of the tissue which secretes the milk, but there is also a marked increase of fat. It is a common occurrence for the left breast to be somewhat larger.

A little below the center of each mammary gland is a small conical eminence, the nipple, which is surrounded by an area