"Scarpa's fascia, or stratum membranosum abdominis, is the deep membranous layer of superficial fascia of the anterior abdominal wall with a high quantity of elastic fibers to protect vital organs in the abdomen. Antonio Scarpa was an Italian anatomist and surgeon who founded the study of orthopaedic surgery. Scarpa noticed a second layer of ""condensed substance"" that attached to a hernia during observation and believed this deep fascia is what contained the hernia."