104 PERITONEUM. 



surface of the liver,^ thence to pass to the stomach,^ forming thus^ 

 the upper lamina of the gastro-hepatic or lesser omentum ; having 

 covered the anterior face of the stomach*^ * it passes down to form 

 one of the lamina of the appctrently quadruple omentum — the gastro- 

 colic ; ascending again it forms another lamina, and surrounding 

 the inferior semi-circumference of the colon,^ it passes to the verte- 

 bral column, forming af the inferior lamina of the colic omentum ; 

 then we find it including the small intestine forming at^° the mesen- 

 tery ; from the vertebral column it can be traced over the upper and 

 anterior part of the rectum,^ and over the posterior and superior por- 

 tion of the bladder,^ forming at the vesico-rectal pouch, and again^ 

 we traced it to the umbilicus, the point whence we started. But in 

 thus tracing it will be found, by the diagram, that we have not traced 

 the peritoneum covering some portions of the viscera and abdomen. 

 In the dead subject it is very easy to introduce the finger through a 

 narrow passage which is called the foramen of Window^ although 

 there is no hole or tearing of the peritoneum. By looking for the 

 posterior end of the gall-bladder and passing the finger under the 

 vessels of the liver it will be easy to touch the peritoneum covering 

 the posterior surface of the stomach. This cannot be demonstrated 

 very clearly from a drawing alone, which represents merely a longi- 

 tudinal section of the abdominal cavity ; and without explanation it 

 gives the false idea of there being two sacs instead of one. In the 

 subject, however, by placing the finger upon the under surface of the 

 liver, we trace the peritoneum in the foramen of Winslow ; there it 

 forms the inferior lamina of the lesser omentum,^ thence it covers 

 the inferior surface of the stomach ; descending it forms the third 

 and ascending at^ it forms the fourth lamina of the great omentum ; 

 then it covers the superior convexity of the colon, and forming the 

 superior lamina of the colic omentum af it ascends in front of the 

 duodenum and pancreas,^ ° and passing out at the foramen of Wins- 

 low we can trace upon the posterior and inferior portion of the 

 liver, the point of starting. 



The mesentery is formed of two laminae of peritoneum, and serves 

 to connect the small intestine to the parietes of the abdomen. Its 

 root is about six inches wide, and its inferior edge equals in breadth 

 the whole length of the small intestine. Between these two laminse 

 of peritoneum are the superior mesenteric artery and vein, lym- 

 phatic glands and vessels, and branches of the sympathetic nerve, 

 together with a portion of fat and cellular tissue. 



The meso-colon is also formed of two laminse of peritoneum, and 

 holds the large intestine in its place. The transverse portion is long 

 and loose, but on each side in the iliac regions it is short, and binds 

 the intestine down very tightly ; it also contains between its laminse 

 vessels and nerves, together with some fat and cellular tissue ; that 

 portion which is attached to the rectum is called the meso-rectwn. 



