FASCIAL ATTACHMENTS.—Besides the fore going, the pelvis also affords attachment to many important fascia, which are susceptible of division into lumbar, abdonzinal, crural, pelvic, and perineal.
The lumbar fascia is formed by the junction of the tendon of the latissimus dorsi muscle with the fascia vertebralis, and the united posterior tendons of the internal oblique and external division of the transversalis tendon, and it is attached along the sacral crest and posterior surface of the fourth sacral bone, and to the posterior half of the iliac crest, enclosing the sacro-lumbalis muscle.
The abdominal fascia are three in number, viz., the fascia transversalis, attached along the inner lip of the iliac crest, to Poupart's ligament, and to the crest, spine, and pec tineal line of the pubis ; the fascia of the qua dratus lunzborum muscle, or anterior division of the tendon of the transversalis, attached to the inner lip or the posterior fourth of the iliac crest, and to the ilio-lumbar ligament ; and the iliac fascia, attached to the ilio-lumbar ligainent, along the inner margin of the iliac crest, and to the anterior superior iliac spine.
The crural fascia or fascia lata is divided into three portions, named, from their respective attachments to the three portions of the inno minate bone, iliac, pubic, and ischiadic. The outer lip of the iliac crest, the anterior superior spine, and Poupart's ligament, give attachment to the iliac portion, which separates the lateral abdominal from the external leg muscles ; the spine, crest, angle, pectineal line, and descend ing rarnus of the pubis, to the pubic portion, which separatcs the internal leg muscles from the anterior abdominal hrid anterior perineal group of muscles ; and the tuberosity and ascending ramus of the ischium to the ischiadic portion, which separates the posterior leg muscles from the posterior muscles of the perineal group.
The pelvic fascia is composed or two por tions, the recto-vesical and obturator, which, having a common attachment to the anterior surface and promontory of the sacrum, to the anterior and lateral parts of the pelvic brim, and to the iliac fascia, separate opposite the line of origin of the levator ani muscle, which arises between them, from the symphysis pubis to the ischiadic spine. The obturator division
is attached to the inner margins of the ischiadic tuberosity and ischio-pubic rarni, being con nected with the falciform margin of the great sacro-sciatic ligament behind, and secluding the obturator muscle from the ischio-rectal fossa ; the recto-vesical division, forming the anterioi and lateral true ligaments of the bladder, is attached to the posterior surface of the symphysis pubis above the origin of the levator ani, and to the inner surrace of the ischiadic spine.
The perineal fascia is divided into two por tions, deep and superficial, which enclose be tween them the superficial muscles of the anterior perineal group, and also the bulb of the urethra and the crura of the penis. The deep perineal fascia or triangular ligament is subdivided into two layers, anterior and pos terior, which enclose between them the mem branous urethra, with its compressor muscles and Cowper's glands. They are both attached to the lower border of the pubic symphysis and sub-pubic ligament, and to the inner border of the united ischio-pubic rami, and intervene between the posterior and anterior perinea! groups of muscles. The superficial perineal fascia covers in the anterior perinea! region, and is attached to the anterior part of the inner border of the ischio-pubic rami, and to the anterior surfhce of the angle of the pubis.
The crura of the penis, or, in the female, those of the clitoris, may also be mentioned as implanted on the rough inner border of the ischio-pubic rami about their junction ; as well as the round uterine ligament, in the fe male, to the anterior surface of the pubis.