Page:A Contribution to the Pathology of Phlegmasia Dolens.djvu/10

8 its subdivisions, and the upper part of the femoral veins so resembled a ligamentous cord, that, on opening the sheath, the vessel was not, until dissected out, distinguishable from the cellular substance surrounding it. On laying open the middle portion of the vein, a firm thin layer of ash-coloured lymph was found in some places adhering close to and uniting its sides, and in others clogging it up, but not distending it. On tracing upwards the obliterated vein, that portion which lies above Poupart's ligament was observed to become gradually smaller, so that, in the situation of the common iliac, it was lost in the surrounding cellular membrane, and no traces of its entrance into the vena cava were discernible. The vena cava itself was in its natural state. The entrance of the internal iliac was completely closed, and in the small portion of it which I had an opportunity of examining, the inner surface was coated by an adventitious membrane. The lower end of the removed vein was permeable, but its coats were much more dense than natural, and the inner coat was lined with a strong membrane, which diminished considerably its calibre, and here and there fine bands of the same substance ran from one side of the vessel to the other. The outer coat had formed strong adhesions with the artery and the common sheath. The inguinal glands adhered firmly to the veins, but were otherwise in a healthy condition.