638 THE LYMPHATICS. 



LYMPHATICS OF THE ABDOMINAL LIMB, PELVIS, ABDOMINAL PAEIETES, AND 

 THE PELVI-INGUINAL OKGANS. 



All these vessels converge towards an immense group of ganglia, named 

 the sublumbar glands. Besides these, there are other groups on different 

 parts of their track, constituting the deep inguinal, superficial inguinal, 

 popliteal, iliac, and precrural glands. The successive description of these 

 ganglia, and their afferent and efferent vessels, will conveniently make 

 known the lymphatic apparatus, whose study we have in view in this 

 paragraph. 



1. Sublumbar Glands. 



This group, which occupies, as its name indicates, the sublumbar region, 

 comprises : 1, A small single mass situated in the sinus of the angle formed 

 between the two internal iliac arteries, and is often formed by a single large 

 ganglion ; 2, Another mass lodged between the two iliac arteries, and a 

 third placed without, and to the front of, the crural trunk : these two are 

 double ; 3, A single agglomeration of glandular lobules dispersed around 

 the origin of the small mesenteric and spermatic arteries : these are isolated 

 from one another. 



These different masses receive the lymphatics of the pelvis, the emergent 

 branches of the deep inguinal ganglia, those which come from the iliac 

 ganglia, some ramuscules from the rectum and large colon, and those from 

 the spermatic cord. 



They are bound to each other by communicating branches, and give rise 

 to several series of emergent branches, which soon collect into one or more 

 trunks that enter Pecquet's reservoir. 



2. Beep Inguinal Glands. 



This is a considerable mass of glandular lobules lodged beneath the 

 aponeurosis and the crural arches, in the interstice of the adductor muscles 

 of the leg, along with the crural vessels, within which they are placed. 



The form of this group is elongated, and its length may be six to eight 

 inches, or even more; its superior extremity extends as high as the 

 anterior border of the pubis. It is composed of from fifteen to twenty 

 lobules, which rarely have an uniform colour, some being grey and others 

 brown, or nearly black. 



The afferents are formed by the superficial lymphatics which accompany 

 the internal saphena vein, whose roots may be traced beyond the fetlock, 

 and by the deep satellite vessels of the crural artery and vein. The efferents 

 proceed to the sublumbar glands, by ascending in the abdomen along the 

 external iliac artery and vein. 



3. Superficial Inguinal Glands. 



These are placed in front of the inguinal ring, at the side of the sheath, 

 on the track of the subcutaneous abdominal artery, where they form a small 

 elongated mass from two and a-half to three inches in length and are 

 composed of a dozen principal lobules. ' 



Their afferents which are very numerous, come from the inner aspect of 

 the thighs, the sheath, scrotum, and the inferior abdominal wall The 

 efferent vessels, much larger, but less numerous— there are only five or six- 

 ascend in the inguinal canal, accompanying the external j)udic artery and 



