ABDOMINAL CAVITY 



553 



view by piercing the transversus abdominis muscle a little 

 way in front of the ilio-hypogastric. It is distributed to the 

 integument of the scrotum and the medial aspect of the 

 proximal part of the thigh (pp. 174 and 394). 



The nervus genito-femoralis (O.T. genito-crural nerve] is 

 directed forwards through the psoas, and, appearing upon its 

 anterior aspect, ends by dividing into a lumbo-inguinal, and 

 an external spermatic branch. The external spermatic branch 

 proceeds downwards and medially. It crosses the external 

 iliac artery obliquely, and reaches the abdominal inguinal 



Twelfth rib 

 Last thoracic nerve 

 Ilio-hypogastr 

 Ilio-inguinal 



Genito-femoral 

 Quadra 

 lumborum 



Lateral 



Ilio-hypogastric 



Ilio-inguinal 



Genito-femoral 



j==-=^~ Femoral 



Obturator 



Lumbo-sacral 

 cord 



Lumbo-sacral cord 



FIG. 213. The Lumbar Plexus (semi-diagrammatic). 



ring. There it comes into relation with the constituents of 

 the spermatic cord, and, leaving the abdomen, is distributed 

 to the cremaster muscle. In the female this branch is very 

 small, and ends in the round ligament of the uterus and the 

 labium pudendi. The lumbo-inguinal branch runs downwards 

 along the lateral side of the external iliac artery, and, crossing 

 the deep circumflex iliac artery, passes behind the inguinal 

 ligament. It supplies a limited portion of the skin on the 

 front of the thigh. 



The n. cutaneus feuwris lateralis (O.T. external cutaneous 

 nerve] emerges from the lateral border of the psoas about 



