THE ANTERO-LATERAL MUSCLES OF THE ABDOMEN 



413 



an irregularly quadrilateral form, and situated at the lateral and anterior parts 

 of the abdomen. It arises, by fleshy fibers, from the lateral half of the grooved 

 upper surface of the inguinal ligament, from the anterior two-thirds of the middle 

 lip of the iliac crest, and from the posterior lamella of the lumbodorsal fascia. 

 From this origin the fibers diverge; those from the inguinal ligament, few in number 

 and paler in color than the rest, arch downward and medialward across the sper- 

 matic cord in the male and the round ligament of the uterus in the female, and, 

 becoming tendinous, are inserted, conjointly with those of the Transversus, into 

 the crest of the pubis and medial part of the pectineal line behind the lacunar 

 ligament, forming what is known as the inguinal aponeurotic falx. Those from the 



Inguinal apo- 

 nturotic falx 



Cremaster 



Fio. 395. The Obliquua interims abdominis. 



anterior third of the iliac origin are horizontal in their direction, and, becoming 

 tendinous along the lower fourth of the linea semilunaris, pass in front of the Rectus 

 abdominis to be inserted into the linea alba. Those arising from the middle third 

 of the iliac origin run obliquely upward and medialward, and end in an aponeurosis; 

 this divides at the lateral border of the Rectus into two lamellse, which are con- 

 tinued forward, one in front of and the other behind this muscle, to the linea alba: 

 the posterior lamella has an attachment to the cartilages of the seventh, eighth, 

 and ninth ribs. The most posterior fibers pass almost vertically upward, to be 

 inserted into the inferior borders of the cartilages of the three lower ribs, being 

 continuous with the Intercostales interni. 



