PERITONEUM. 



555 



body; and if such be the facts, the female peritoneum 

 can scarcely be said to form an exception to the general 

 rule of all serous membrane, in FIG. 174. 



being a shut sac. Its structure 

 is the same as all other serous 

 membranes, being composed of 

 an external layer of cellular tis- 

 sue, and an internal one, which 

 is pearly in appearance, smooth, 

 semi-transparent, and by the mi- 

 croscope is shown to consist of la- 

 mina3 of flattened vesicles, with 

 central nuclei. The external lay- 

 er is connected with the sur- 

 rounding structures, and con- 

 ducts the nutrient vessels and . 

 nerves. The peritoneum has 

 two great divisions, the one 

 lining the abdominal walls and 

 called its parietal; the second 

 reflected over the viscera, and 

 called its visceral portion. As 



FIG. 174 represents the Reflections of the Peritoneum. 1 Liver. 2 Stomach. 

 3 Small intestine. 4 Arch of the colon. 5 Duodenum. 6 Pancreas. 7 

 Rectum. 8 Uterus. 9 Vagina. 10 Bladder. 11 Peritoneum reflected from, 

 diaphragm to Liver, and thence to the lesser curvature of the stomach, form- 

 ing the anterior layer of the omentum minus, then 12 covers anterior face of 

 stomach, and at 13 14 descends to form the omentum majus ; at 15 it is re- 

 flected upward, forming at 16 the posterior layer of this latter omentum ; at 17 

 it surrounds the transverse colon, and extends back to the spine, forming at 18 

 the mesocolon ; it now goes in front of the duodenum 5, and descends to the 

 small intestine 3, which it surrounds and furnishes the mesentery ; it next de- 

 scends the posterior abdominal wall, covering the rectum 7, in front, the uter- 

 us 8, bladder 10 ; and then ascends covering the anterior abdominal wall 20 

 and 21, to the diaphragm, place of beginning, at 22. If we start again from the 

 diaphragm, we follow the peritoneum forming at 23, the posterior layer of 

 lesser omentum, and at 24 the posterior layer of the stomach, and thence down- 

 ward, forming, at 25 and 26, the posterior layer of the anterior fold of omentum 

 majus, and then turns up at 27 to constitute the anterior layer of omentum, 

 which goes to the anterior surface of the colon 4, and at 28 forms the anterior 

 surface of the meso-colon, which is traced up to the pancreas 6, and on to the 

 place of beginning. 



