Volume 2

Observations on certain parts of the animal oeconomy / By John Hunter.

  • John Hunter
Date:
1786
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Observations on certain parts of the animal oeconomy / By John Hunter. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    éc. being placed in the foetus above the hollow of the pelvis, in the com- mon or great abdominal cavity. At this time the fhape or figure of the teftis is much the fame as in | the adult, and its pofition or attitude is the fame as when it is in the {cro-. tum; that is, one end is placed upwards, the other downwards ; one flat fide is to the right, the other to the left; and one edge is turned back- wards, the other forwards. But as the teftis is lefs connected with the furrounding parts while it is in the loins, its pofition may be a little va- riable. ‘The moft natural feems to be when the anterior edge is turned diretly forwards ; but the leaft touch of any thing will throw that edge either to the right fide, or to the left, and then the flat fide of the teftis is . turned forwards. It is attached to the pfoas mufcle all along its pofterior edge, except juft at its upper extremity. This attachment is formed by the peritoneum, which covers the teftis and gives it a {mooth furface, in the fame manner as it envelopes the other loofe abdominal vifcera. The epididymis lies along the outfide of the pofterior edge of the teftis, as in older bodies, but is larger in proportion, and adheres backwards to the pfoas. When the foetus is very young, the adhefion of the teftis and epididymis to the pfoas is very narrow; and then the teftis is more loofe, and more projecting: but as the foetus advances in months, the adhefion of the teftis to the pfoas becomes broader and tighter. The vefiels of the teftis, like thofe of moft parts of the body, commonly rife from the neareft larger trunks, viz. from the aorta and cava, or from the emulgents. | The artery generally rifes from the forepart of the aorta, a little below the emulgent artery ; and often from the emulgent itfelf, efpecially in the right fide of the body; which may happen the rather, becaufe the trunk of the aorta is more diftant from the right teftis than from the left. Some- times, but much more rarely, the fpermatic artery {prings from the phrenic, or from that of the capfula renalis. Befides the artery which rifes from the aorta, or emulgent, &c. the teftis receives one from the hypogattric artery, which is fometimes as large as the other. It runs upwards from its origin, pafling clofe to the vas deferens, in its way to the teftis. - The Be 2 {uperior _
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