306 



Abdominal Muscles and Fascia 



inner lip of the iliac crest, and along Poupart's ligament. Below, it is 

 attached to the body of the pubes, covering the naked part of the 

 rectus, and the posterior layer of the sheath of that muscle ; it as- 

 cends as a thin sheet to lose itself in the phrenic vault. At the um- 

 bilicus it is firmly connected with the back of the linea alba. It is 

 joined with the iliac fascia (p. 307) along the outer half of Poupart's 

 ligament, but it descends free under the inner half of the ligament, in 

 front of the external iliac vessels, forming the anterior layer of the 

 crural sheath (p. 313). More internally, it is attached to Gimbernat's 

 ligament, where it is again connected with the iliac fascia. Just before 

 it passes beneath Poupart's ligament it is thickened and forms the 

 so-called deep crtiral arch, a structure of no special interest. 



The parts of the fascia which are of greatest surgical importance 

 are the anterior layer of the crural sheath, and the process, like the 

 finger of a glove, which the testis carries in front of it in its descent. 

 This process is, at an early period of its development, much wider 

 above than below, like a funnel, and is called the infundibuliform 

 fascia. It entirely surrounds the spermatic cord, and the testicle lies 

 at the bottom of it. In the adult who has no inguinal hernia the 

 peritoneal aperture of the process is small and elliptical, constituting 

 the internal abdominal ringr. It is placed to the outer side of the 



deep epigastric artery, about an inch above the middle of Poupart', 

 ligament, as is shown in the adjoining figure from Gray. 



