THE CRURAL REGION. 183 



These several muscular eminences inclose an irregular 

 triangular space, sloping towards the centre, in which 

 lie the common femoral vessels ; it is the seat of crural 

 or femoral hernia, which appears at the inner and upper 

 part. 



Dissection. An incision skin deep is to be made 

 along Poupart's ligament, met by one along the outer 

 border of the adductor longus, and the flap turned down 

 towards the sartorius. The superficial layer of superfi- 

 cial fascia is first met with, continuous with that over 

 the abdomen, containing a good deal of fat, in which lie 

 the superficial circumflexa ilii, epigastric and external 

 pudic vessels ; filaments from the external, internal, and 

 middle cutaneous, crural and ilio-inguinal nerves, lym- 

 phatic glands, and ducts. It will be noticed that the 

 lower chain of the lymphatic ganglia in the axis of the 

 thigh and the glands are those which become enlarged 

 in ulcers or injuries of the lower limb, whilst the upper 

 series, which lie in the fold of the groin, receive the 

 lymphatics of the genital organs, and become affected in 

 venereal complaints. On removing this layer, the deep- 

 portion of the superficial fascia is met with attached to 

 Poupart's ligament, and to the margins of the saphe- 

 nous opening, forming a spout-like prolongation over 

 the internal saphena vein as it lies in this opening. 

 That portion of the superficial fascia which closes in the 

 saphenic opening, is called the cribriform fascia, from 

 its numerous perforations, due to the passage of lym- 

 phatic ducts and the superficial vessels already named. 

 When this fascia has been removed, the fascia lota is 

 next seen, a dense aponeurotic structure, attached by an 

 outer or iliac portion to the crest and anterior spine of 

 the ilium ; and blended with the lower edge of Poupart's 



