52 SPRING-TIME SURGEKY 



thin portion of the membrane which presents an 

 arched, limiting band of fibers in front and below. 

 This band may often be demonstrated externally 

 by deep palpation in the middle of the fold of the 

 grroin. Its determination with the hand in the 

 canal is a matter of little difficulty. 



In a great many cryptorchids the testicle or 

 epididymis has partially descended through this 

 area and one may find a condition of affairs vary- 

 ing from a mere looseness of the fascia in the 

 area to a finger-like projection of it containing 

 the tail or more of the epididjrmis. Ofttimes the 

 tail of the epididymis has descended through this 

 area and the band of fibers, which normally con- 

 tracts after natural descent of the testicle, has 

 contracted down, constricting the testicular struc- 

 tures so that the globus minor of the testicle is 

 below the band and the globus major and the 

 body of the testicle is above and within the ab- 

 dominal cavity and unable to descend further. 



The internal ring, or better, this area in the 

 transversalis fascia, lies just anterior to the shaft 

 of the ilium at about its middle and the fascia just 

 behind the ring is reflected backward into the 



