364 
(2) On the Peritoneum in Man and other Vertebrates, 
Dr WILSON made a communication on the disposition of the 
peritoneum in Man and other vertebrata. He gave a brief 
account from his own dissections, of the anatomy of the peri- 
toneum, and more particularly of its omental sac in Man and 
many Mammals, Reptiles, Amphibians and Fishes. He shewed 
that in many of these the omental sac is divided into two 
parts—a gastro-hepatic and a gastro-colic part—by a constric- 
tion corresponding with the upper border of the stomach. This 
he first observed in the dissection of a Narwhal, and had found 
it marked to a variable extent in Man, most evident in a young 
Hippopotamus, distinct in the Rat and in the human feetus 
about the 8rd month. In Reptiles and Amphibians the omen- 
tum does not extend below the level of the stomach. There is 
therefore only a more or less complete representative of the 
gastro-hepatic part of the omental pouch of Man. One or more 
of the hepatic lobes usually project into the gastro-hepatic part 
of the sac. In Man it is the lobulus Spigelei. He described the 
relation of the spleen to the omental pouch, and stated that his 
observations were, on the whole, in accordance with the old and 
commonly received view regarding the mode in which the colon 
is embraced by the two recurrent layers of the omentum which 
pass on to form the transverse meso-colon, , 
Professor HumMPHRY remarked on the thorough manner in 
which Dr Wilson had investigated the anatomy of the omentum, 
which was of much interest with reference to the development 
of parts. The increasing size of the omental pouch in the 
higher animals and in Man must also be taken in connection 
with the recent investigations of Dr Klein respecting the rela- 
tions of the peritoneal cavity to the lymphatic system. 
