940 



PERITONEUM. 



navel and falciform ligament of the liver. 

 From the last-named position we have before 

 reached the anterior and posterior surfaces of 

 the lesser omentum, the former by tracing the 

 free surface over the left lobe, and the latter by 

 tracing it over the right lobe, of the liver. 

 From the sides of the falciform hepatic liga- 

 ment, proceeding in each lateral direction, in 

 a horizontal sectional line taken at the level of 

 the foramen of Winslow, to the left we find 

 the free peritoneal surface continuing, uninter- 

 rupted by any folds, to the external surface of 

 the gastro-splenic omentum in the left hypo- 



Fig. 489. 



Diagram representing a transverse section of the human 



subject at tJie level of the first lumbar vertebra, i. e. 



through the foramen of Window. 



ft, the stomach, its descending portion; 6, the 



spleen , c, the gall-duct and hepatic vessels ; d, the 



round ligament of the liver ; e, the lesser omentum ; 



f, the gastro-splenic omentum ; g, the falciform 



ligament of the liver ; h, the vena cava ; i, the 



aorta ; k, k, the kidneys. The thick line represents 



the peritoneum. The space between the hepatic 



duct and vessels, c, and the vena cava, h, is the 



foramen of Winslow. 



Dim/ram representing a transverse section of a Lizard, 

 showing the stomach, spleen, lesser omentum, gaxtru- 

 x/ilcnic omentum, and falciform hepatic ligament, in 

 their mesial or typical position. 



a, the stomach ; 6, the spleen ; c, the gall-duct 

 and hepatic vessels ; d, the round ligament of the 

 liver ; e, the lesser omentum ; /, the gastro-splenic 

 omentum ; g, the falciform ligament of the liver ; 

 h, the aorta, &c. The thick line represents the 

 peritoneum. There is here no foramen of Winslow. 



It will be seen by comparing these diagrams, 

 that much of what seems so intricate in the human 

 peritoneum results from a lateral displacement of 

 an extremely simple arrangement, a displacement 

 which attains its maximum in man, and is due, 

 partly to the lungs being confined to the thorax, and 

 partly to the great lateral, and small antero-poste- 

 rior, measurement of the human figure. 



chondriac region ; to the right we find it conti- 

 nuing uninterrupted through the foramen of 

 Winslow, covering its posterior boundary, to 

 the internal surface of this same gastro-splenic 

 omentum : to witness its continuity, however, 

 up to the latter point, it is of course necessary to 

 cut through the lesser omentum in the human 

 subject, but not in those animals which have no 

 foramen of Winslow. (Figs. 489, 490.) 



We have now examined the continuity of 

 the peritoneum in all the main directions, and 

 the mode in which it is maintained over the 

 principal viscera and along the connecting 

 sheets with two free surfaces. There yet re- 

 main for examination several folds and other 

 remarkable arrangements of this membrane ; 

 the description of these is most conveniently 

 deferred till we come to the consideration of 

 our other propositions, when much that is at 

 present wanting in order to render our proof of 

 the continuity of the peritoneum throughout 

 complete, will be supplied. 



The peritoneal cavity is one cavity, in the 

 same sense as the whole of the interior of an 

 hour-glass is one cavity ; that is to say, it is 

 two large cavities made one by being connected 

 by an extremely narrow communicating neck. 

 Supposing the whole of the peritoneal sac 

 could be detached from the connections of its 

 external surface and expanded, it would be a 

 sac of exceedingly irregular figure, divided into 

 two parts by an extremely narrow constriction. 



OMENTA, MESENTERIES, AND LIGAMENTS. 

 By these terms we understand the sheets with 

 two free surfaces, formed by duplication of the 

 peritoneum and adhesion of the surfaces there- 

 by brought into apposition ; to describe these 

 is our second proposition, and to that we now 

 pass. 



A parieto-visceral sheet is usually called a 

 mesentery or a ligament ; a sheet with two free 

 surfaces passing from one viscus to another is 

 called an omentum. 



The J a lei form ligament of the liver has 

 already been fully described. We agree with 

 Cruveilhier that its main use is to conduct the 

 umbilical vein from the navel to the antero- 

 posterior fissure of the liver. This, indeed, 

 can hardly be called a use, especially in the 

 adult; we would say rather that the existence 

 of the falciform ligament necessarily results 

 from the situation and course of the umbilical 

 vein. It perhaps serves in some degree to 

 retain the liver in situ, but it is not advanta- 

 geously placed with regard to this office. 



The coronary ligament of the. liver is the 

 name given to those portions of the peritoneum 

 which leap across, so to speak, from the under 

 surface of the diaphragm to the upper and 

 posterior aspect of the liver. The anterior and 

 posterior of these portions do not come in 

 contact with one another in the middle, the 

 liver being at that point in immediate contact 

 with, and adherent to, the diaphragm ; but 

 towards each side the two layers gradually 

 approach each other, and at length come in 

 contact and adhere, and are prolonged as folds 

 bearing another name. The coronary ligament 

 fixes the liver to the diaphragm, or rather the 



