THE ARTICULATIONS OF THE POSTERIOR LIMB 291 



ligament in such a way as to project into the joint cavity. 



Between the apposed surfaces of the condyles, in the interior of 

 the joint, there are two short, cruciate ligaments and two thin 

 plates of fibrocartilage, the medial and lateral menisci. The 

 anterior cruciate ligament (lig. cruciatum anterius) passes from 

 the lateral wall of the intercondyloid fossa of the femur to the 

 anterior end of the intercondyloid eminence of the tibia. The 

 posterior cruciate ligament passes from the medial wall of the 

 intercondyloid fossa of the femur to the posterior intercondyloid 

 fossa of the tibia. The medial meniscus (meniscus medialis), a 

 thin crescentic plate of fibro-cartilage, lies on the articular surface 

 of the medial condyle of the tibia, and is connected by ligament with 

 the anterior and posterior intercondyloid fossae of the bone. The 

 larger, lateral meniscus lies on the lateral condyle of the tibia, and 

 is attached by ligament anteriorly to the medial portion of the 

 articular surface, and posteriorly, to the medial wall of the inter- 

 condyloid fossa of the femur. The tendon of origin of the extensor 

 digitorum longus traverses the anterior part of the joint on its way 

 from the patellar surface of the femur to the front of the leg. 



The interosseous ligament of the leg (lig. interosseum cruris) forms an 

 almost complete sheet connecting the uncoalesced portions of tibia and fibula. 



C. The ankle-joint (articulatio talocruralis) is a ginglymus 

 with a considerable amount of spiral torsion. The articulating 

 surfaces are formed chiefly by the tibia and talus, but also by the 

 fibular side of the tibiofibula and the calcaneus. On the tibial side 

 the calcaneotibial ligament (lig. calcaneotibiale) passes obliquely 

 anteroventrad and then across the plantar. surface to connect the 

 medial malleolus with the sustentaculum tali and deep (lateral) to 

 this a thick talotibial ligament connects the malleolus with the 

 medial surface of the talus. On the fibular side the calcaneofibular 

 ligament (lig. calcaneofibulare) connects the posterior portion of 

 the groove for the peronaei muscles forwards with the lateral 

 surface of the calcaneus, and a second ligament extends from the 

 anterior margin of the groove backward to the lateral surface 

 of the calcaneus. The tibionavicular ligament (lig. tibionaviculare) 

 connects the anterior surface of the distal end of the tibia with 

 the dorsal surface of the navicular bone. The joint contains in 

 its interior the short, strong talofibular ligament connecting the 



