CHANGES IN FETAL VESSELS OF THE LIVER 483 



of either structure could be found, however, aud in cats one-half 

 to a year old, and occasionally in young kittens, it was not 

 uncommon to find the suspensory ligament more or less fenes- 

 trated, a fact which can undoubtedly be correllated with its 

 degeneration or disappearance. Not uncommonly the free 

 caudal border of the suspensory ligament was rolled up as a scroll 

 suggesting the presence of an unusually large round ligament 

 but upon closer microscopic and macroscopic examination not 

 a remnant of the vein nor a fibrous substitute for it could be found 

 and the thickened border of the suspensory ligament was com- 

 posed of folds of peritoneum or of loose connective tissue. This 

 rolled up or pleated condition of the free caudal border occasion- 

 ally seen was especially illustrated in the case of some rabbits 

 and guinea-pigs as shown in figure 2. 



In several rabbits over a year old from a third to a half of 

 the suspensory ligament was still preserved although no remnant 

 of the round ligament could be found, but in a guinea-pig of the 

 same age the suspensory ligament was completely preserved 

 from a point opposite the xiphoid process, although the round 

 ligament could not be detected beyond the ventral surface of 

 the liver. 



That the rolled up or plicated border of the suspensory liga- 

 ment can easily sinuilate the round ligament is excel' ently illus- 

 trated by the behavior of a special fold of the suspensory liga- 

 ment which is occasionally reflected towards the gall bladder, 

 to the right of the main ligament and which not infrequently 

 contains a vein (fig. 3). When such is the case this reflection 

 has a free border exactly similar to that of the main ligament 

 and if one were to judge from gross appearance one would be 

 compelled to conclude that there are two instead of but one 

 round ligament in these cases for this vein is sometimes very 

 thick-walled as in this instance. In rabbits the condition of 

 both the round and suspensory ligaments is very similar. In 

 guinea pigs they persist relatively longer. 



Because of the great difficulty in obtaining cats, rabbits and 

 guinea-pigs of definitely known ages the observations on them 

 have been much fewer and hence any conclusions drawn from 



THE AMERICAN JOUKNAI. OK ANATOMY, VOL. 10 NO. 4 



