DISSECTION OP THE ABDOMEN. 303 



The Uterine Broad Ligaments. — These are the double peritoneal folds 

 that suspend the iiterus, ovaries, and Fallopian tubes. Each ligament 

 leaves the roof of the abdomen in the lumbar region, and descends to 

 the concave edge of the cornu, and to the side of the upper face of the 

 body, of the uterus. At these points the layers of the ligament sepa- 

 rate, and pass on to the uterus as its visceral covering. The ligaments 

 are widely apart in front; but as they are traced backwards, they 

 become narrower and nearer to each other. The Fallopian tube is sus- 

 tained between the two layers of each ligament at its anterior edge, and 

 here the fimbriated extremity of the tube opens into the sac of the peri- 

 toneum. In the female, therefore, the peritoneum does not form a shut 

 sac. Stretching between the ovary and the uterine cornu is a cord of 

 non-striped muscular tissue — the ligament of the ovary — which forms 

 the free edge of a small secondary fold of peritoneum. This forms with 

 the adjacent part of the broad ligament a pocket-like cavity. On the 

 outer side of the broad ligament another secondary fold extends as far 

 as the internal abdominal ring, and contains a layer of non-striped 

 muscular tissue corresponding to the round ligament of the human 

 uterus. Besides some scattered fibres of non-striped muscle, the layers 

 of the broad ligament include between them the uterine and ovarian 

 vessels and nerves. 



The other peritoneal ligaments will be described in connection with 

 the organs to which they belong. 



Peritoneal Pockets. The peritoneum, in passing from one organ to 

 another, forms several remarkable pockets, one of which has been men- 

 tioned above in connection with the ligament of the ovary. The exact 

 position of the others will now be indicated. So far as I am aware, 

 these have not hitherto been described. Nevertheless, they possess 

 considerable interest, since, in the human subject, a coil of intestine has 

 been known to become incarcerated in a similar pocket of peritoneum. 



1. The entrance to the first of these pockets will be found imme- 

 diately in front of the base of the lobulus caudatus, which separates it 

 from the foramen of Winslow. It is bounded by the anterior end of the 

 right kidney, and by the lobulus caudatus and upper part of the right 

 lobe of the liver. It extends inwards to near the spine between the 

 diaphragm and the upper part of the right lobe of the liver. 



2. Another pocket will be found a little to the left of the root of the 

 anterior mesenteric artery, the entrance to it being on the anterior 

 surface of the mesentery suspending the first few inches of the jejunum. 

 The pocket is bounded in part by this piece of mesentery, and in part 

 by a peritoneal fold passing between the jejunum and the first part of 

 the single colon. 



3. Other two pockets will be found at the termination of the small 

 intestine. Turn the point of the caecum backwards and to the right. 



