139 



Before discussing my own results, which have been figured by 

 Mr. Todd in diagrammatic form, it will be well to briefly summarise 

 the description of these nerves as given in various standard textbooks. 



Dr. Hamann, in Piersol's Anatomy (2), mentions a filament 

 passing from the N. spermaticus externus to the external iliac artery 

 and a branch to the femoral artery from the N. lumbo-inguinalis 

 (p. 1322). In addition Dr. Hamann refers to a vascular branch of 

 the anterior division of the obturator nerve, which enters Hunter's 

 canal and spreads over the lower portion of the superficial femoral 

 artery (p. 1326). The other vascular nerves to which reference is 

 made by Dr. Hamann are the following: the geniculate branch, which 

 distributes filaments to the popliteal artery (p. 1326); a branch from 

 the N. femoralis supplying both superficial and deep femoral arteries 

 (p. 1327); and lastly, a vascular branch to the posterior tibial artery 

 from the X. tibialis through the intermedium of the nerve to the M. 

 tibialis posterior (p. 1343). 



In the textbook by Poirier and Charpt, Soulie (3) definitely 

 mentions the supply to the external iliac vessels from the genito- 

 femoral nerve (p. 977), to the femoral artery from the N. femoralis, 

 and to the posterior tibial vessels from the N. tibialis (p. 1030). In 

 addition Soulie describes other vascular nerves not mentioned in 

 Piersol's textbook. These are the following: branches from the 

 N. peronaeus profundus to the anterior tibial vessels (p. 1021), and 

 vascular branches of the N. tibialis distributed to the branches of 

 bifurcation of the popliteal artery (p. 1025). These often come from 

 muscular nerves, especially from the nerve to the popliteus muscle, 

 and from the interosseus nerve. The vascular branches supply the 

 anterior and posterior tibial and peroneal arteries (p. 1029j. Other 

 nerves are mentioned, but no direct statement is made of their 

 distribution to the blood vessels. 



The account by Paterson in Cunningham's textbook (4) men- 

 tions only the branches of the N. genito-femoralis and N. obturatorius 

 (p. 722-3). 



Hardesty's account in Morris' textbook is even more scanty (5). 

 Nor have I found in any other textbook a description more complete 

 than the two just mentioned accounts. 



I may, therefore, proceed without further delay to describe briefly 

 the distribution of nerves to the arteries of .the lower extremity as 

 found in the specimens to which I have had access. Typical filaments 



