EELATIOXS OF THE FEMORAL ARTERY, 



455 



the beating of the artery may be felt, and the circulation through the 

 vessel may be most easily controlled by pressure. Below the upper 

 third of the thigh it is crossed by the sartorius muscle, the upper and 

 inner border of which forms the outer wall of the triangle, and which 

 conceals the vessel in the remainder of its course. In the first part of 

 its course the femoral artery is covered only by the skin and fascia 

 lata, and by the crural sheath which invests both the artery and vein. 

 In the lower part of its course it is deeply placed, being covered not 

 only by the sartorius muscle, but by a dense stratum of fibrous struc- 

 ture, which stretches across from the tendons of the long and great 

 adductors to the vastus iuternus muscle, and encloses the space called 

 Hnnfcfs caned, in which the vessels lie. 



The artery rests successively upon the following parts. First, upon 

 the psoas muscle, by which it is separated from the margin of the pelvis 

 and the capsule of the hip-joint ; next it is placed in front of the pec- 

 tineus muscle, the deep femoral artery and vein being interposed ; 

 afterwards, it lies upon the long adductor muscle ; and lastly, upon the 

 tendon of the great adductor, the femoral vein being placed between 

 the tendon and the artery. At the lower part of its course, it has 

 immediately on its outer side the vastus internus muscle, which inter- 

 venes between it and the inner side of the femur. 



Fig. 29i 



Fig. 292. — View of the Femokal Ves- 

 sels, ■WITH THEIR SMALLER SUPERFICIAL 



Branches ix the Right Groin (from R. 

 Quain). \ 



a, the integument of the abdomen ; h, the 

 superficial abdominal fascia ; b', the part 

 descending on the spermatic cord ; c, c, the 

 aponeurosis of the external oblique muscle ; 

 c', the same near the external abdominal 

 ring ; c", the inner pillar of the ring ; d, the 

 iliac part of the fascia lata ; d', the pubic 

 part ; c, e, the sheath of the femoral vessels 

 laid open, the iipper letter is immediately- 

 over the crural aperture ; e', sartorius muscle 

 partially exposed ; 1, femoral artery, having 

 -, the femoral vein to its inner side, and the 

 septum of the sheath shown between the two 

 vessels ; 3, the principal saphenous vein ; 

 3', its anterior branches ; 4, the superficial 

 circumflex iliac vein and arterial branches to 

 the glands of the groin ; 5, the superficial 

 epigastric vein ; 6, the external jjudic arteries 

 and veins ; 7 to S, some of the lower inguinal 

 glands receiving twigs from the vessels ; 9, 

 internal, 10, middle, and 11, external cuta- 

 neous nerves. 



At the groin the artery, after hav- 

 ing passed over the margin of the 



pelvis, is placed slightly in front of or internal to the head of the femur ; 

 and at its lower end, the vessel lies close to the inner side of the shaft 

 of the bone ; but m the intervening space, in consequence of the pro- 

 jection of the neck and shaft of the femur outwards, while the artery 

 holds a straight course, it is separated from the bone by a considerable 

 interval. 



