ABDOMINAL VISCERA IN MAN. 191 



The root of the mesentery crossed the middle line •? higher than 

 the lower border of the duodenum — viz., 7"2 cm. below E.F. In 

 all but two of those cases in which it crossed the middle line 

 low down (ranging from 14-5 to 10 cm. below E.F.), and allowed 

 the intestines in the left abdominal quarter a freer movement 

 <Nos. 38, 39, 13, 15, 40, 2, 16, and 20), there was a low trans- 

 verse colon. In all but three the stomach was low down ; but 

 in only three of them was the attachment of the mesentery 

 anything prolapsed at the upper end. The patients were more 

 than forty-five years of age, except in cases 20 and 39. 



The position of the loioer border of the mesentery (where 

 the peritoneum passes upwards from the margin of the right 

 psoas muscle on to the inner side of the ascending colon) was 

 4 cm. from the middle line, 2-4 cm. above the level of the an- 

 terior superior iliac spine, and 8-5 cm. directly above Poupart's 

 ligament. This agrees very well with Lockwood's (12) figures, 

 when our different methods of measuring are remembered, and 

 the fact that these figures consider Poupart's ligament as 

 stretching in a straight line from the anterior superior iliac spine 

 to the spine of the pubes, which is not quite the case. 



Lockwood considers the lower attachment of the mesentery 

 prolapsed or dragged down when it is less than 2^ inches, or 

 6-25 cm., above Poupart's ligament. In cases 3 and 4 it was 

 only 6 cm. ; in case 27, 5-5 cm. ; and in case 19, 5 cm. There 

 was no common factor in these cases, except a low position of 

 the hepatic loop downwards of the transverse colon. 



The cases in which the lower attachment of the mesentery 

 was highest above Poupart's ligament were Nos. 10 and 16, 

 11 and 12'5 cm. respectively. 



I did not regularly measure the length of the mesentery, and 

 there were no notes on its length except in special cases. 



Summarising the line of the attachment of the Mesentery in 

 general terms of inches. — It begins about one inch to the left of 

 the middle line in the plane of E.F., and passes downwards to 

 the right, crossing the middle line nearly 3 inches below E.F, 

 and rather more than an inch above the umbilicus. The lower 

 end is attached over the right psoas muscle beside the pelvic 

 brim an inch above the level of the anterior superior iliac spine 

 and about an inch and a half from the middle line ; in other 



VOL. XXXV. (N.S. VOL. XV.) — JAN. 1901, N 



