THE LIMBS OF THE HOESE 



131 



N. TIBIALIS. — The tibial ^ nerve, the larger of the two divisions of 

 the sciatic, has already been followed down the back of the thigh to the 

 point where it disappears between the two heads of the gastrocnemius 

 muscle. The rest of its course is now revealed. Between the heads of 

 the gastrocnemius the nerve comes into relation with the plantaris 

 muscle, the medial border of which it follows closely until the level of 

 the summit of the tuber calcanei is reached. At this point it divides 

 into the medial and lateral plantar nerves, which, passing down the 



Posterior femoral vessels. 



M. plantaris. 



N. tibialis. 



JI. semitendinosus. — 



M. gastrocnemius 

 (caput niediale). 



N. cutaneus sunu posterior 

 M. popliteus 



M, tibialis posterior. 



M. gastrocnemius. - 



M. soleus 



"--■.rr'4.V|- -M. bicBps femori 



Lii;. temoro-patellaris 



laterale. 

 Popliteal artery and 



vein. 



Lig. collaterale (ibulare . 



Ligamenta patella;. 



Lateral meniscus. 

 Mm. peron<eus tertius et ex- 

 tensor digitorura longus. 



N. peroiuius profundus. 



M. peronanis longus. 



N. peronanis superficialis. 



M. extensor digitorum longus. 



Fig. 87. — Deep Dissection of the Popliteal Region. 



short canal at the back of the tarsus, will be traced in the metatarsus 

 in a later dissection. In its course down the leg the tibial nerve is 

 related to a small artery (and its companion vein) that forms an anas- 

 tomotic link between the posterior femoral and recurrent tibial arteries. 

 The collateral branches of the tibial nerve are the proximal and 

 distal muscular rami, and the posterior cutaneous sural nerve. The 

 proximal muscular hranch (ramus muscularis proximalis) was examined 

 during the course of the dissection of the thigh. The origin of the 

 posterior cutaneoits spiral nerve (n. cutaneus surte posterior (medialis)) 

 was noted as occurring about the middle of the thigh. The nerve 

 crosses the surface of the lateral head of the gastrocnemius muscle and 



1 Tibia [L.J, the shin-bone ; the name was used in a borrowed sense to signify a 

 musical pipe, or flute, which was originally made of bone. 



