PELVIS MINOR 489 



the anterior border of the bladder. To examine the relation 

 of the fundus of the bladder to the uterus and vagina, 

 the student must cut through the peritoneum at the 

 bottom of the vesico-uterine pouch, and then separate the 

 bladder from the front of the neck of the uterus and 

 the upper part of the anterior wall of the vagina. Whilst 

 he is dividing the peritoneum he should notice that the 

 membrane may extend down over the fundus of the bladder 

 for a very short distance. 



The False Ligaments of the Urinary Bladder. As in the 

 male, there are five false ligaments of the bladder, two lateral, 

 two posterior, and one superior. They are all formed by the 

 peritoneum. The two lateral are merely the parts of the 

 peritoneal membrane which connect the lateral borders of 

 the superior surface of the bladder with the side walls of the 

 pelvis; they form the floors of the paravesical fossae. The 

 superior, or middle umbilical fold, is the fold of peritoneum 

 which is raised up by the middle umbilical ligament ; and 

 the toQ posterior are the ill-marked folds which pass from the 

 upper part of the base of the bladder to the front of the 

 neck of the uterus ; they form the lateral boundaries of the 

 vesico-uterine pouch. The dissector should compare the false 

 ligaments of the urinary bladder of the female with the corre- 

 sponding false ligaments in the male (see p. 413). 



The True Ligaments of the Urinary Bladder. The true 

 ligaments of the urinary bladder are five in number, two 

 anterior, two lateral, one superior. The lateral and the anterior 

 ligaments are portions of the visceral layer of pelvic fascia. 

 The lateral pubo-vesical ligaments are merely the lateral parts 

 of the vesical lamella ; whilst the anterior or medial pubo- 

 vesical ligaments are thickenings of the anterior part of the 

 same lamella, one on each side of the median plane. The 

 lateral connect the infero-lateral surfaces of the bladder to the 

 main layer of the visceral pelvic fascia, and indirectly to the 

 side wall of the pelvis. The anterior bind the anterior border 

 of the bladder to the back of the symphysis pubis. It is 

 doubtful if the term superior true ligament is properly applied, 

 but it is sometimes given to the middle umbilical ligament, 

 which connects the apex of the bladder with the anteiror 

 abdominal wall. 



Dissection. To examine the interior of the bladder, the 

 dissector should make an incision through the anterior border, 



