2 37 



the septum femorale or septum crtirale. Make note of this, for it forms one of 

 the coverings of femoral hernia. I wish to make emphatic the difference now 

 between the contents of the femoral sheath and the contents of the femoral canal. 

 The canal itself is in the sheath. 



The femoral ring and its relations are the beginning of the femoral canal, 

 just as the brim is the beginning of a cup. The ring has certain definite bounda- 

 ries and relations, which you must both demonstrate on your work and commit 

 thoroughly to memory. In figure 165 you can study these. Internal to the 

 ring is the sharp falciform edge of Gimbernat's ligament. This, as you can easily 

 demonstrate on your work, is a reflection of Poupart's ligament on to the ilio- 

 pectineal line. To the outer side of the ring is the femoral vein. Above the 



Deep circumflex iliac artery 



External iliac artery 

 External iliac rein 



Obturator foramen 



Internal ring, tcith spermatic 

 vessels cut short in it 



Deep epigastric artery 



Lymphatic gland in femoral 

 ring 



The obturator artery, given off 

 from the external iliac with trie 

 deep epigastric, descends to gain 

 the obturator foramen, but at a 

 safe distance from the femoral 

 ring 



B 



Thf. obturator artery, coming off 

 from the deep epigastric, takes 

 a course so near to the femoral 

 ring that it would very likely 

 be divided by the bistoury intro- 

 duced from without to divide 

 the base of Gimbemafs liga- 

 ment, the cause of the constric- 

 tion 



FIG. 165. IRREGULARITIES OK THE OBTURATOR ARTERY. (After Gray.) 



ring is Poupart's ligament. Below the ring is the horizontal part of the os pubis, 

 covered by thepectineus muscle and its aponeurosis. You will also see the deep 

 epigastric artery arising from the femoral artery and passing upward and inward 

 across the upper part of the femoral ring. In a certain number of cases the 

 deep epigastric artery gives off the obturator artery, which passes either to the 

 outer side of the ring, as in A, figure 165, or to the inner side, as in B. In 

 either case it would complicate an operation for reduction of femoral hernia. 

 You will note on the cadaver that the obturator artery and nerve lie on the 



