302 Anatomy Applied to Medicine and Suigeiy. 



deep fascia, in this region, there is a cleft, termed the 

 Saphenous Opening and through this opening the 

 following structures enter or leave the thigh, viz. : The 

 superficial epigastric vessels, the superficial external pudic 

 vessels, the saphenous vein and the lymphatics. But these 

 structures lie between the superficial and deep layers of 

 the superficial fascia, hence they must pierce the deep 

 layer of this fascia whic'h overlies the saphenous opening 

 and is adherent to its margins, so that the numerous per- 

 forations, resulting, give this fascia the name of the cribri- 

 form fascia. 



The saphenous opening, spoken of above, is covered in 

 by this cribriform fascia, hence it is not, in reality, an 

 opening. It is one, potentially, only. The existence of 

 this so-called opening is due to a peculiar arrangement of 

 the fascia lata of the thigh, and, in order to understand 

 this arrangement, imagine that no such opening existed, 

 but that the deep fascia was incised for a distance of one 

 and a half inches, beginning at Poupart's ligament, about 

 one and a quarter inches from the pubic spine. Imagine, 

 further, that the upper angles of this incision are stretched 

 so that the inner or pubic portion is drawn outwards, be- 

 neath the femoral artery and vein, but above the psoas and 

 iliacus muscles, as far as the capsule of the hip joint, and 

 that the outer or iliac portion is drawn inwards, over the 

 artery and vein, as far as the pubic spine, where it touches 

 the pubic portion ; we would, then, have an opening about 

 one inch in length, directed obliquely downwards and out- 

 wards, wider below than above, since it tapers to a point, 

 above, owing to the junction of the iliac and the pubic por- 

 tions of the fascia lata, and with its axis pointing inwards 

 and forwards. The centre of the opening is one inch 

 below a point, which is situated one and a quarter 



