82 ANATOMY OF THE RABBIT 



impractical to limit the description of these vessels to the proxi- 

 mal region of the limb. The deep veins should be dissected out 

 while the arteries of that region are being dissected and studied. 



The venous system of the inferior limb resembles that of the 

 superior in having a superficial and a deep trunk in which many 

 of the tributaries anastomose. The branches of the deep system 

 generally parallel the arteries, while the superficial system is 

 comprised essentially of the great and the small saphenous 

 veins and their tributaries. 



The small saphenous vein (Fig. 29) is not accompanied by 

 an artery and differs from that of man in being larger than the 

 great saphenous and in emptying into the internal iliac instead 

 of into the femoral vein. Thus, the larger vessel, the saphena 

 parva, of the superficial venous system of the inferior limb of the 

 rabbit arises as three interdigital veins which converge to form a 

 subcutaneous venous arch on the mid-dorsum of the proximal 

 third of the metatarsals, passes over the transverse crural 

 ligament, diagonally over the crus to the caudal margin of the 

 biceps femoris muscle and laterad of the semimembranosus, in 

 which relation it continues and passes over the caudal head of 

 the biceps to pierce the fascia between the proximal ends of the 

 two heads of the biceps and continuing craniad until it reaches a 

 point nearly dorsad of the acetabulum and mediad of the caudal 

 border of the gluteus maximus m. (36), it passes mediad through 

 the obturator foramen into the pelvis where it is known as the 

 internal iliac vein. Important anastomoses with the deep 

 system occur in the foot, popliteal space, and trunk. 



The saphena magna vein, which is much smaller than the 

 saphena parva, arises mainly on the medial and plantar surfaces 

 of the foot where it anastomoses with branches from the deep 

 and the small saphenous veins. The principal branch passes 

 over the medial maleolus of the tibia and closely parallels the 

 saphenous artery (24) and saphenous nerve (12) to empty into 

 the femoral vein. 



The lymphatic system of the inferior Hmb is essentially 

 the same as that of man. The principal lymph glands, or nodes, 



