Chap, xvii.] THE KIDNEY. 329 



the pyloric end of the stomach, so that a communi- 

 cation was established between those two organs. 

 Movable kidney. The kidney is fixed in position 

 mainly by the tension of the peritoneum that passes 

 over it, and that is connected with the fatty tissue 

 supporting the gland. If this fatty tissue be absorbed 

 for any reason, the kidney can be readily moved about 

 and displaced in the subserous tissue ; the peritoneum 

 at the same time becomes lax, and the gland by its 

 own weight can drag still further upon it. Moreover, 

 a laxity of the peritoneum from any cause may loosen 

 the firm connections of the kidney and allow the 

 organ to become more movable. Thus, the movable 

 kidney is often met with in badly nourished subjects, 

 and especially in those who have become emaciated 

 by disease. It is far more common in women 

 than in men. In the former sex, the influence of 

 pregnancy appears to have especial effect, acting, 

 probably, by dragging upon the peritoneum and by 

 loosening its connections, as well as by inducing, after 

 delivery, a general laxity of the abdominal walls. 

 The movable kidney can, of course, only be moved 

 within a segment of a circle whose radius corresponds 

 to the length of the renal vessels, and its displacement 

 is seldom considerable. There is a congenital form of 

 movable kidney where the gland is suspended in a 

 peritoneal fold of its own, the meso-nephron, and 

 where the renal vessels are of undue length. Such a 

 kidney may be found near the anterior abdominal wall. 

 One kidney may be very small, and the other 

 unusually large. Both glands may be situated in the 

 pelvis, or the two kidneys may be joined together by 

 their lower ends across the middle line, forming a 

 " horse-shoe kidney," with the concavity upwards. 

 There may be only one large kidney ; and, lastly, 

 cases are recorded where three kidneys have been 

 found. 



