942 THE URETERS. 



ganglia upon them before entering the organ. The nerves are especially numerous in 

 the lower half, and inner border. 



Accessory suprarenal capsules are occasionally met with, attached by connective 

 tissue to the main bodies; and varying from a small size up to that of a pea. 

 According to Duckworth, they possess no medullary part. 



On the subject of the suprarenal capsules may be consulted, Ecker, Der feinere Bau 

 der Nebennieren, Braunschweig, 1846 ; Simon on the Thymus Gland; Frey, article 

 " Suprarenal Capsules," in Cyclop, of Anat. and Phys. ; Harley, in the Lancet, June, 

 1858; Duckworth, in St. Bartholomew's Hosp. Reports, 1865; Moers, in Virchow's 

 Archiv, 1864, vol. xxix. p. 336 ; J. Arnold, Virchow's Archiv, 1866, vol. xxxv. p. 64 ; 

 Leidig, Kolliker, Luschka, and Henle, in their Handbooks. 



Function. Kothing is known positively with regard to the functions of the supra- 

 renal capsules. The opinion which has met with most acceptance among physiologists 

 is that these bodies belong to the class of blood-vascular glands, and exert some influence 

 upon the elaboration or disintegration of nutritive material. Bergmann, however, who 

 was the first to point out the richness of their nervous supply, suggested that they 

 were parts of the sympathetic nervous system, and in this opinion he has been followed 

 by Leidig and Luschka ; while Kolliker states that, upon anatomical grounds, he is 

 inclined to consider the cortical and medullary portions as functionally different ; the 

 former belonging to the group of vascular or ductless glands, the latter appearing to 

 be an apparatus appertaining to the nervous system. Brown-S6quard found that 

 injuries to the spinal cord in its dorsal region produced congestion and subsequent 

 hypertrophy of the suprarenal bodies. Addison has shown that a bronzed tint of 

 skin, together with progressive emaciation and loss of strength, is to be found in con- 

 junction with various forms of disease more or less involving and altering the structure 

 of these bodies. 



THE URETERS. 



The ureters are two tubes which conduct the urine from the kidneys into 

 the bladder. The upper, dilated, funnel-shaped commencement of each in 

 the pelvis of the kidney, into which the calyces pour their contents, has 

 already been described. Towards the lower part of the hilus of the kidney 

 the pelvis becomes gradually contracted, and opposite the lower end of the 

 gland, assuming the cylindrical form, receives the name of ureter. These tubes 

 extend downwards to the posterior and under part or base of the bladder, 

 into which they open, after passing obliquely through its coats. 



The ureters measure from fourteen to sixteen inches in length, and their 

 ordinary width, is about that of a goose- quill. They are frequently, how- 

 ever, dilated at intervals, especially near their lower end. The narrowest 

 part of the tube, excepting its orifice, is that contained in the walla of the 

 bladder. 



Each ureter passes, at first, obliquely downwards and inwards, to enter 

 the cavity of the true pelvis, and then curves forwards, and inwards, to 

 reach the side and base of the bladder. In its whole course, it lies close 

 behind the peritoneum, and is connected to neighbouring parts by loose 

 areolar tissue. Superiorly, it rests upon the psoas muscle, and is crossed, 

 very obliquely from within outwards, below the middle of the psoas, by the 

 spermatic vessels, which descend in front of it. The right ureter is close to 

 the inferior vena cava. Lower down, the ureter passes over the common 

 iliac, or the external iliac vessels, behind the termination of the ileum on 

 the right side and the sigmoid flexure of the colon on the left. Descending 

 into the pelvis, it enters the fold of peritoneum forming the corresponding 

 posterior false ligament of the bladder, and, reaching the side of the bladder 

 near the base, runs downwards and forwards in contact with, it, below the 

 obliterated hypogastric artery, and is crossed upon its inner side, in the male, 



