ABDOMINAL MUSCLES. 329 



The edge formed by the fold of the membrane is called 

 Poupart's ligament, and is very firm and strong ; owing to 

 the membrane being thicker at that place. The real ^dge, or 

 termination of the portion which is folded inwards, is arranged 

 in the following manner : the part which is nearest to the spine 

 of the ilium is continued into the cellular membrane, or the 

 fascia, which is between the internal oblique and transversalis 

 muscles, and the iliacus internus. 



But the edge of that part of Poupart's ligament which is 

 inserted into the ridge of the pubis seems to form a portion of 

 an oval opening, which is occupied in part, but not completely, 

 by the crural vessels. 



The femoral artery is found at the outer margin of this oval 

 opening, see fig. 82. The femoral vein is placed on the inner 

 side of the artery ; on the inner side of the vein again is left a 

 roundish opening, the proper crural ring, occupied only by some 

 loose fat, lymphatic vessels and a small gland, through which 

 the viscera protrude in crural hernia. 



This edge of Poupart's ligament, inserted into the ridge or 

 crest of the pubis is of a triangular shape, and is called Gim- 

 bernai's ligament. It is one of the seats of stricture in crural 

 hernia. The base of the triangle is towards the syrnphysis 

 pubis. 



A portion of the fascia lata of the thigh, which covers these 

 vessels, passes under this portion of the tendon, and is also 

 inserted into the ridge of the pubis ; so that when the intestines 

 protrude at this aperture, and are strangulated, this portion of 

 the fascia of the thigh must also compress them. This 

 portion of the fascia lata femoris, is called the crescentic or 

 falciform portion of the fascia lata. The sharp edge at its 

 inner part, by which it is nearly continuous with Gimbernat's 

 ligament, and which is directed downwards and backwards, is 

 called Key's ligament or the femoral ligament; it is directly 

 above or in front of the crural ring that space between the 

 crural vein and Gimbernat's ligament, included in the sheath 

 of the femoral vessels, and through which the viscera protrude 

 in crural hernia. 



28* 



