Capillaries. The terminal and very finest branches of the blood-vessels. Catamenial Flow. See Menstruation. Cellular Tissue. A loose, transparent tissue which surrounds the muscles and organs of the body. Cerebrum. The upper and larger portion of the brain. Chlorosis. Anemia of young women about the time of puberty. Climacteric. See Menopause. Clitoris. A small, elongated, erectile organ situated at the upper part of the vulva. Cohabitation. See Coitus. Coition. See Coitus. Coitus. Syn., coition, copulation, cohabitation, sexual congress, sexual intercourse. The carnal union of the sexes. Colostrum. A thin albuminous fluid which appears in the breasts at the fourth month of pregnancy. Conception, or impregnation, is the union of the germ and sperm cell which results in a new being. Confinement. Childbed, the expulsion of the child from the womb. Congestion. The abnormal accumulation of blood in a part. Constipation. Costiveness; a state in which there is not a free daily evacuation of the bowels, or where the evacuations are hard or expelled with difficulty. Continence. Abstinence from or moderation in sexual indulgence. Copulation. See Coitus. Cord, Umbilical. The cord which connects the fetus with the mother. Through the blood-vessels contained in this cord the child receives nourishment. Corpuscle. A very small particle. Decidua. A membranous sac formed in the uterus during gestation, and thrown off after parturition. Defecation. The act by which the contents of the bowel are expelled from the body. Dehiscence. The splitting open of an organ. Dentition. The cutting of the teeth. Dysmenorrhea. Painful and difficult menstruation. Dystocia. A difficult labor. Embryo. The name applied to the very earliest stages of the child in utero; that is, up to about the time of quickening. Endometrium. The lining membrane of the uterus. Epithelium. A layer of minute cells which forms the covering of many membranes. Erection. The state of a part which, having been soft, becomes rigid and elevated by the accumulation of blood within its tissues. Fallopian Tubes. Two very small tubes extending from the upper angles of the uterus to the ovaries and serving to convey the ova from the ovaries to the uterus. Feces. Stools; the normal discharge from the bowels. Fetus. The child in utero from the time of quickening to that of birth. Fomentations. The application of cloths which have previously been dipped in hot water. Function. An action of an organ which could be performed only by that organ, and which is necessary to the well-being of the individual.