482 THE PERITONEAL 



it covers the remains of the urachns in the median line, and the closed 

 umbilical artery on cither side, which as it passes from the os pubis to 

 the abdominal wall raises the peritoneum into a well-marlcBd fold, sepa- 

 rating two shallow pits named internal and exicrnal inguinal pouches 

 (more fully described with the special anatomy of the groin). In the 

 female the peritoneum passes from the rectum to the upper part of the 

 vagina, and over the posterior and anterior surfoces of the uterus, whence 

 it goes to the bladder. The recto-vaginal pouch, like the recto-vesical, is 

 Ibounded above by its semilunar folds, and the uterine peritoneum forms 

 at the sides the broad ligaments of the uterus, along the u'pper border 

 of which the Fallopian tubes receive from it a serous covering ; but at 

 their fimbriated openings the peritoneum is continuous with the mucous 

 membrane lining the tubes. 



The peritoneum, on being traced to the upper part of the abdomen, is 

 found to line the vault of the diaphragm, adhering moderately to the 

 muscular and firmly to the tendinous part, and continuing down 

 behind as far as the hinder border of the liver and the oesophageal 

 opening. It then passes forward on the liver, forming the falciform, 

 coronary, and lateral ligaments of that organ, already specially 

 described. 



Turning round the anterior border it passes back on the under 

 surface, but after covering the lobulus quadratus, and arriving at the 

 transverse fissure, it meets with a peritoneal layer from behind, and in 

 association with it, stretches from the liver to the stomach, to form the 

 lesser omentum, as will be presently explained. To the right of this 

 part it invests the gall-bladder, more or less completely, and the under 

 surface of the right lobe, gives a complete covering to the adjacent 

 part of the duodenum, and passes to the upper end of the right 

 kidney, forming here a slight fold, named hepato-renal ligament. It 

 then covers the hepatic flexure of the colon, and reaches the right 

 colon, on which it has been already traced. To the left of the trans- 

 verse and the longitudinal fissure the peritoneum invests the whole o*F 

 the left lobe, and stretches out as the long left lateral ligament above 

 and beyond the oesophageal opening. It then passes down over that 

 opening and covers the front and left side of the gullet, spreads 

 over the left end of the stomach, where it passes off to invest the 

 spleen, forming a duplicature named the gastro-splenic ligament, or 

 gastro-splenic omentum, for it is connected below with the great 

 omentum, and often reckoned as a part of it. When the membrane 

 passes from the diaphragm to the oesophagus it forms a small duplica- 

 ture in the angle between them, named the gastro-phrenic ligament ; 

 it extends also as a stout and well-marked fold (the costo- or phreno- 

 eolic ligament) from the diaphragm opposite the tenth and eleventh 

 ribs to the splenic flexure of the colon, then passes over the splenic 

 flexure, and reaches the left kidney and descending colon, where it has 

 been already described. 



Omenta. — The arrangement of the remaining part of the peritoneum 

 — that between the stomach, liver, and transverse colon — is somewhat 

 complex, in consequence of the membrane forming in this situation a 

 second and smaller sac, which communicates towards the right with the 

 c^eneral cavity by a narrow throat, named the foramen of Winsloiv. 

 This passage, which readily admits a finger, is situate behind the bundle 

 of hepatic vessels which stretches between the liver and commencing duo- 



