SPERMATIC CORD. 277 



The round ligament, or the suspensory cord of the uterus, occupies in female 

 the inguinal canal in the female, and ends in the integuments of the mSSfisIn" 

 groin. Its coverings are similar to those of the spermatic cord P la ^ e f 

 of the male except that it wants the cremaster. 



THE SPERMATIC CORD AND THE TESTIS. 



Dissection. The constituents of the cord will now be displayed by Dissection. 

 cutting them through longitudinally, as far as the scrotum, and turn- 

 ing aside the different surrounding layers, and removing the areolar 

 tissue. The dissector should trace branches of the genito-crural 

 nerve and deep epigastric artery into the cremasteric covering, and 

 note the passage of the spermatic vessels between the abdomen 

 and the cord at the internal abdominal ring, and define the vas 

 deferens. 



Vessels and nerves of the cord. In the cord are collected together Constitu- 

 the spermatic artery and veins, which convey the blood to and from JJJJJ of the 

 the testicle, the nerves and lymphatics of the testicle, and the vas 

 deferens or the efferent duct, 



In the female a branch from the ovarian artery enters the round Vessel in 

 ligament. 



The vas deferens reaches from the testicle to the urethra, and is Vas defe- 

 placed behind the other constituents of the cord ; it will be recog- re 

 nised by its resemblance in feel to a piece of whipcord, when it is 

 taken between the finger and the thumb. As it enters the abdomen situation 

 through the opening in the transversalis fascia (internal ring), it lies and course, 

 on the inner side of the vessels of the testicle, and, at the same place, 

 winds behind the epigastric artery. A small artery (the artery of 

 the vas) will be seen running along it. It is derived either from the 

 superior or inferior vesical arteries. 



Cremasteric artery and nerve. The cremasteric covering of the cord Artery and 

 has a separate artery and nerve. The artery is derived from the coverings^ 

 deep epigastric, and is distributed to the coverings of the cord. The the cord ; 

 genital branch of the genito-crural nerve enters the cord by the internal 

 abdominal ring, and ends in the cremaster muscle. 



Cutaneous vessels and nerves are supplied to the integuments and cuta - 

 covering the cord from the superficial external pudic artery and 

 the ilio-inguinal nerve. 



Dissection. The spermatic cord and all its coverings should now 

 be cut through at the external abdominal ring and, with the right 

 half of the scrotum and the enclosed testis, removed for examina- 

 tion. The parts should be pinned out on a leaded piece of cork and 

 dissected under water; the different layers being divided by a 

 longitudinal incision and pinned out laterally as they are reflected. 



In the meantime the anterior abdominal wall should be carefully 

 covered with cloths soaked in preservative. 



The TESTICLES (testes) are the glandular organs for the secretion of Testes 

 .L-L -n -I -I -. ., i A i placed in 



the semen. Each is suspended in the scrotum by the spermatic cord scrotum. 



and its coverings, but the left is usually lower than the right ; and 



