656 A MANUAL OF ANATOMY 



process. Over about the lower fourth of the rectus the aponeu- 

 rosis remains single, and passes in front of the muscle. The 

 Poupart fibres of the muscle, as they leave the ligament, are in 

 front of the spermatic cord as it lies in the upper third of the 

 inguinal canal. They then arch over it, and finally descend 

 behind it as it lies in the lower two-thirds of the inguinal canal. 

 In this latter situation the fibres have terminated in the conjoined 

 tendon. 



Cremaster — Origin. — ^The deep aspect of Poupart's ligament in 

 its inner part. A few fibres are also derived from the lower border 

 of the internal oblique. The fibres descend in a series of loops 

 upon the outer and anterior aspects of the spermatic cord. The 

 lowest loops reach the tunica vaginalis of the testis, upon the upper 

 part of which they spread out in an arched manner, some of the 

 fibres terminating on it. The other loops are successively shorter 

 from below upwards, and ascend on the inner and posterior aspects 

 of the cord, where they become tendinous and indefinite, to take 

 insertion into the pubic spine and anterior lip of the pubic crest. 

 The loops of the muscle are separated by intervals occupied by 

 areolar tissue. This combination of muscular loops and areolar 

 tissue forms the cremasteric or middle spermatic fascia. The 

 cremaster muscle lies in series with the lower border of the internal 

 oblique, and is peculiar to the male. It is occasionally represented 

 in the female by a few fibres which descend on the round ligament 

 of the uterus in the inguinal canal. 



Nerve-supply. — ^The genital branch of the genito-femoral nerve 

 from the lumbar plexus, more particularly from the first, and the 

 ventral division of the second, lumbar nerves. 



Action. — ^To support and raise the testis towards the external 

 abdominal ring. The fibres composing the muscle are of the 

 striated variety, but the action is involuntary, and of a reflex 

 character. 



Cremasteric Reflex. — The afferent nerve involved in the cremasteric reflex 

 is either the inguinal, which is distributed to the side of the scrotum and 

 inner side of the thigh, or the femoral branch of the genito-femoral, which is 

 distributed to the integument over Scarpa's triangle. The efferent nerve is 

 the genital branch of the genito-femoral. 



Transversalis Abdominis — Origin. — (i) The deep aspect of 

 Poupart's ligament over its outer third ; (2) the inner lip of the iliac 

 crest over its anterior two-thirds ; (3) the lumbar aponeurosis, which, 

 by its posterior lamina, is connected with the spinous processes of 

 the lumbar and sacral vertebrae, and the posterior fourth of the 

 outer lip of the iliac crest, by its middle lamina with the tips of the 

 lumbar transverse processes, and, by its anterior lamina, with the 

 fronts of the lumbar transverse processes near their tips ; and 

 (4) the inner surfaces of the cartilages of the lower six ribs by six 

 slips which interdigitate with slips of the diaphragm. 



Insertion. — (i) The linea alba ; (2) the front of the pubic crest ; 

 and (3) the pectineal portion of the ilio-pectineal line for i inch.. 



