THE ABDOMEN, EXTERIOR. 457 



having the cord or round ligament curving around its 

 outer side, and passing upward and inward to enter the 

 sheath of the rectus muscle, over the semilunar fold of 

 Douglas, to finally inosculate with the superior epigastric 

 in the substance of the muscle. 



The position of the artery is between the two abdominal 

 rings, or to the inner side of the internal, and to the outer 

 side of the external ring. It takes part in the formation of 

 Hesselbach's triangle, constituting its outer side, the other 

 boundaries being the outer margin of the rectus to the 

 inside and Poupart's ligament for the base. Through this 

 triangle the direct inguinal hernia must pass. 



The Formation of the Abdominal Rings, Coverings of the 

 Testicle and Cord. In order to make the subject clear we 

 must turn to the development of the parts. 



Take the time in the development of the foetus when the 

 testicle is at the back part of the abdomen, below the kidney 

 and behind the peritoneum, which encloses its front and 

 sides, forming the mesorchium. The testicle has the guber- 

 naculum, a fibromuscular cord passing from its lower border 

 through the abdomen to be attached in three main divisions, 

 a middle band passing to the bottom of the scrotum, an 

 anterior one to the structures in front of the pubes, a 

 posterior one to the tissues over the ischiatic region. 



The testicle descends to reach the inner surface of the 

 abdominal wall and the gubernaculum shortens ; whether 

 the testicle descends because of the contraction of the 

 gubernaculum, or its shortening is only an incident in the 

 descent of the testicle, are disputed points with no way of 

 solution. The testicle is preceded in its descent by a pro- 

 cess of the peritoneum which is drawn downward as it were 

 by the gubernaculum. It also takes with it the peritoneum 

 by which it is nearly enclosed. Arriving against the inner 



