More than two-thirds of cases of rupture suffer from inguinal hernia In the oblique form of inguinal hernia the abdominal contents descend along the inguinal canal to the outer side of the epigastric artery, and enter the scrotum in the male, and the labium majus in the female.

In this form of hernia the size of the sac is sometimes enormous, the accompanying illustration showing extreme cases of both scrotal and labial hernia.

Umbilical hernia may be classed under three heads: congenital, infantile, and adult.

Congenital umbilical hernia occurs most frequently in children, and is brought about by the failure of the abdominal walls to close.

When of large size it may contain not only the intestines, but various other organs, such as the spleen, liver, etc.