184 Anatomy Applied to Medicine and Sutgery. 



ed tendon and the triangular ligament serving to strength- 

 en what would otherwise be a weak spot in the parietas. 

 Blake, of New York, makes the statement, that, as the re- 

 sult of a number of examinations of the inguinal rejgion 

 of the cadaver, the conjoined tendon is more or less a 

 myth. He found that, in no case, did it extend for more 

 than five-eighths of an inch, laterally, from the insertion of 

 the rectus 'muscle; that, in the majority, it was less than 

 half an inch and, in some, it was inappreciable. Further, 

 the portion of the internal oblique forming the tendon did 

 not consist of the lowest fibres, since these were inserted 

 into the front of the rectus, but, that the conjoined tendon 

 was formed of a few, only, of the deeper fibres. He states, 

 further, that the structures, generally regarded as the con- 

 joined tendon, are, in reality, a thickened portion of the 

 fascia transversalis. On drawing down the cord and dis- 

 placing upwards the overhanging internal oblique, the 

 transversalis fascia is exposed with the internal abdominal 

 ring at the outer part of the surface. This transversalis 

 fascia is arranged around the ring, so that, the portion on 

 its outer side is curved from without, inwards and down- 

 wards, below the opening, while the portion internal to it, 

 is curved downwards and outwards to meet the former. 

 This external portion is termed the ligamentum inguinale 

 laterale, while the internal is the ligamentum inguinale 

 mediate, and the union of these two parts of the transver- 

 salis fascia supports the ring and assists in maintaining its 

 position of half an inch above the middle of Poupart's liga- 

 ment. Internal to these curved parts of the fascia, we 

 find vertical fibres, and this whole exposed portion of the 

 transversalis fascia is much denser than any other part of 

 the same layer. 



Through the transversalis fascia the deep epigastric 

 artery may be felt when injected, as it lies beneath the 



