CUTANEOUS VESSELS. 407 



The ilio-inguinal nerve becomes cutaneous through the external abdo- 

 minal ring, and descends to the teguments of the scrotum, and upper and 

 inner parts of the thigh. 



CUTANEOUS VESSELS. Cutaneous vessels run with both sets of nerves 

 on the abdomen : with the lateral cutaneous nerves are branches from the 

 intercostal arteries ; and with the anterior cutaneous are offsets from the 

 intercostal, internal mammary, and epigastric vessels. In the groin are 

 three small superficial branches of the femoral artery, viz., pudic, epigas- 

 tric, and circumflex iliac. 



The lateral cutaneous arteries have the same distribution as the nerves 

 they accompany. The anterior or chief offsets are directed towards the 

 front of the abdomen, and end about the outer edge of the rectus muscle. 



The anterior cutaneous vessels are irregular in number and in position, 

 like the nerves. After piercing the sheath of the rectus, they run out- 

 wards with the nerves towards the other set of branches. 



Branches of the femoral artery. Three cutaneous offsets ascend from 

 the thigh between the layers of the subcutaneous fat, and ramify in the 

 integuments of the genital organs and lower part of the abdomen. The 

 greater portion of these vessels appears in the dissection of the thigh. 



The external pudic branch (superficial) crosses the spermatic cord, to 

 which it gives offsets, and ends in the integuments of the under part of the 

 penis. 



The superficial epigastric branch ascends over Pou part's ligament, near 

 the centre, and is distributed in the fat nearly as high as the umbilicus. 



The circumflex iliac branch lies usually below the level of the iliac 

 crest, and sends only a few offsets upwards to the abdomen. 



Small veins accompany the arteries, and join the internal saphenous 

 vein of the thigh. 



The glands of the groin are three or four in number, and lie over the 

 line in Poupart's ligament. They are placed between the strata of the 

 superficial fascia ; and receive lymphatics from the abdominal wall, from 

 the upper and outer portion of the thigh, and from the superficial parts of 

 the genital organs. Their efferent ducts pass downwards to the saphenous 

 opening in the thigh to enter the abdomen. 



Dissection. After the examination of the superficial fat with its ves- 

 sels and nerves the student may prepare the cutaneous coverings of the 

 penis and scrotum. The skin may be divided along the dorsum of the 

 penis, and thrown to each side ; and the skin of the scrotum is to be re- 

 flected on the left side by means of a vertical incision. 



Cutaneous coverings of the penis and scrotum. The penis is attached 

 to the front of the pubes by a suspensory ligament, and is provided with a 

 tegumentary covering which is continuous with that of the abdomen, but 

 it loses the fat and acquires special characters. 



Around the end of the penis it forms the loose sheath of the prepuce in 

 the following way : When the skin has reached the extremity, it is re- 

 flected backwards as far as the base of the glans, constituting thus a sheath 

 with two layers the prepuce; it is afterwards continued over the glans, 

 and joins the mucous membrane of the urethra at the orifice on the sur- 

 face. At the under part of the glans, and behind the aperture of the 

 urethra, the integument forms a small triangular fold,/r<?mw prcRputii. 



Where the skin covers the glans, it is inseparably united with that part, 

 is very thin and sensitive, being provided with papillae, and assumes in 



