THE AB'JOMEN. 241 



men, downwards, outwards, and backwards to the pelvis, 

 where it terminates at the supero-posterior part of the 

 bladder. It first passes through the muscular coat of that 

 organ, and after running for a short distance between 

 this and the mucous coat, penetrates the latter, and thus 

 distension of the bladder serves more securely to prevent 

 reflux of urine upon the kidneys. It presents a muscular 

 coat, with an external layer of longitudinal, and an internal 

 layer of circular fibres, and is lined with mucous memhrane 

 which presents epithelial cells of the spheroidal character. 

 The ureters run between the two layers of the broad liga- 

 ments of the bladder, and hence are by some anatomists 

 described as having an external serous coat. The bladder 

 is situated in the lower part of the pelvis, and is a pyri- 

 form organ, rounded anteriorly, terminating posteriorly in 

 becoming constricted to form the nech. The anterior por- 

 tion is the fundus, and the portion between the fundus 

 and the neck is the hody. Superiorly it is in contact in 

 the female with the vagina and the uterus, with the rec- 

 tum in the male ; while on either side from before back- 

 wards run a vesicula seminalis and a vas deferens. The 

 under surface rests upon the upper concave surface of the 

 j)ubic portion of the ossa innominata. The fundus presents 

 a remarkable puckering, the result of the change which 

 the bladder undergoes after birth, whereby it gradually 

 decreases in proportionate size, and tends to retract from 

 the umbilicus into the pelvis, from which it extends into 

 the abdomen in a degree varying with its plenitude. To 

 the fundus run the round ligaments of the bladder, which 

 diverge at an acute angle and run forwards and outwards, 

 enclosed in the double folds of peritoneum forming the 

 hroad ligaments, towards the umbilicus. The fundus also 

 receives a coating of peritoneum which forms a small cap for 

 it, extending farthest backwards superiorly and presents 

 double folds runnmg in various directions ; thus longitu- 

 dinally forwards the falciform or suspensory ligame7it yvlus to 

 the umbilicus. Laterally, the broad Ugamerits (with the 

 round ligaments in their free margins) to the walls of the 

 cavity, and superiorly a longitudinal fold, vesico-rtctal fold 

 in the male, vesico -vaginal in the female. The vesico-rectal 

 fold is bounded laterally by the vasa deferentia, and encloses 

 the third vesicula seminalis between its layers. The ureters 

 pass to the supero-posterior part of the bladder, and open 



IG 



