LARGER BRANCHES OF THE INTERNAL ILIAC. 297 



neck of the hernial sac.* According to J. Cloquet, the artery 

 arises from the epigastric in one case out of four. But, judging 

 from my own dissections, this proportion is too great. ^Occa- 

 sionally, also, the epigastric is given off from the trunk of the 

 obturator. 



A small artery passes from the internal iliac or one of its 

 branches, to the rectum, which is called the 



Middle H&morrhoidal, 



From its situation between the branches which are sent to 

 that intestine from the inferior mesenteric, and those which go 

 to it from the pudic. This artery is spent upon that part of 

 the rectum which is above and in contact with the sphincter. 

 It sends branches to the prostate and vesiculae seminales, in 

 males, and to the vagina and bladder in females. 



In females there is a peculiar artery, 



The Uterine, 



Which originates either from the internal iliac, near the origin 

 of the ischiatic, or from one of its branches. It passes between 

 the lamina of the broad ligaments to the cervix uteri, and pene- 

 trates the texture of that organ. The size of this vessel varies 

 with the varying size of the uterus. 



The Gluteal or Posterior Iliac Artery, 



One of the two great branches of the internal iliac, proceeds 

 exteriorly through the sciatic notch above the pyriform mus- 

 cle, very near the edge of the bone. On the outside of the 

 ilium it generally divides into two branches, one of which 

 ramifies between the gluteus medius and minimus, and the 

 other between the medius and maximus. It is principally 

 spent upon these muscles, and sends branches to the contiguous 

 parts. 



* See Astley Cooper's great work on Hernia, vol. i. 



There is reason to believe that this position of the artery occurs more fre- 

 quently than has been supposed. 



