DESCENT OF THE TESTICLE OF THE FCETUS. 203 



The Testicles in the foetus are found above the pelvis, in the 

 lumbar region, behind the peritoneum until two months before 

 birth. Thus situated, their blood-vessels and nerves proceed 

 from sources which are near them ; but the vas deferens, being 

 connected to the vesiculae seminales by one extremity, is neces- 

 sarily in a very different situation from what it is in the adult : 

 it proceeds from the testicle downwards to the neck of the 

 bladder. While each testicle is in this -situation, it is connected 

 with a substance or ligament, called Gubernaculum, of a coni- 

 cal or pyramidical form, \vhich is attached to its lower end, and 

 extends from it to the abdominal ring. This substance is vas- 

 cular, and of a fibrous texture : its large extremity adheres to 

 the testicle, its lower and small extremity passes through the 

 abdominal ring, and appears to terminate in the cellular sub- 

 stance exterior to that opening, like the round ligament in 

 females. The Gubernaculum, as well as the testicle, is 

 behind the peritoneum ; and the peritoneum adheres to each 

 of them more firmly than it does to any of the surrounding 

 parts. It seems that, by the contraction of the Gubernaculum, 

 the testicle is moved down from its original situation to the 

 abdominal ring, and through the abdominal ring into the scro- 

 tum. The peritoneum, which adheres firmly to the gubernac- 

 ulum and testicle, and is loosely connected to the other parts, 

 yields to this operation ; and when the testicle has arrived near 

 the abdominal ring, a portion of the peritoneum is protruded a 

 little way before it into the scrotum ; forming a cavity like the 

 finger of a glove. The testicle passes down behind this process 

 of the peritoneum, and is covered by it as it was in the abdomen. 

 Although it appears protruded into the cavity, it is exterior to 

 it ; and behind it ; and the vessels, he, which belong to the 

 testicle are also exterior to it. 



The cavity formed in the scrotum, by this process of the 

 peritoneum, necessarily communicates with the cavity of 

 the abdomen at its formation ; but very soon after the testicle 

 has descended into the scrotum, the upper part of this cavity 

 is closed up, while the lower part of the process continues 

 unchanged, and constitutes the Tunica Vaginalis Testis. In 

 some instances the upper part of this process does not close up, 



