PLANTAR ARTERIES. 821 
inner side of the foot, in the interval between the abductor hallucis and the flexor 
. brevis digitorum, to the head of the first metatarsal bone, where it terminates by 
uniting with the plantar digital branch of the dorsalis hallucis, which is distributed 
to the inner side of the great toe. In its course forwards it gives branches to the 
adjacent muscles and articulations, and to the subjacent skin; it also gives three 
digital branches which anastomose at the roots of the inner three interdigital clefts, 
with the princeps hallucis branch of the dorsalis pedis and with the inner two digital 
branches from the plantar arch. Some of the cutaneous branches of the internal 
plantar artery anastomose, 
round the inner border 
of the foot, with the inner 
cutaneous branches of the 
dorsalis pedis artery. 
External Plantar Caleaneal branch of 
Artery (a. plantaris later- P*"or Pst avery 
alis). — This - artery, the Posterior tibial artery ——_| 4 
Internal calcaneal 
_branch of external 
plantar artery 
eater ereye Tite + = eee SAAC Internal plantar Long calcaneo- 
larger of the two terminal cee stare = cuboid ligament 
branches of the posterior External plantar 
artery 
tibialartery,runs forwards 
and outwards, first be- 
tween the flexor brevis Flexor longus 
digitorum and the acces- Eo beatae 
sorius and then in the 
interval between the 
flexor brevis digitorum  ‘wexor loncus 
and the abductor minim _ béallucis tendon 
digiti, to the inner side of 
the base of the fifth meta- _, Mlexor brevis 
tarsal bone, where it turns 
abruptly mwards ; it then 
passes across the bases of 
the metatarsal bones and “"*™4nra’ 
the origins of the inter- 
ossei,andabove the oblique 
adductor of the great toe, 
to the outer side of the 
base of the first metatarsal 
bone, where it terminates 
by anastomosing with the 
dorsalis pedis artery. The 
last part of the artery is 
convex forwards and forms 
the plantar arch, which is 
completed by the dorsalis 
pedis. 
Flexor accessorius 
muscle 
Abduetor minim 
digiti muscle 
Oblique adductor 
hallucis 
Plantar arch 
Digital arteries 
Transverse 
adductor 
hallucis 
Branches.— Between Fic. 577.—THE PLANTAR ARTERIES AND THEIR BRANCHES. 
its origin and the base of the 
fifth metatarsal the external plantar artery gives off (a) the internal calcaneal branch, 
which is distributed to the skin and the subcutaneous tissue of the heel. 
(6) Muscular branches to the abductor hallucis, flexor brevis digitorum, accessorius, 
and abductor minimi digiti. Kets 
(c) Cutaneous branches to the skin of the outer side of the foot. 
Between the base of the fifth metatarsal bone and the first interosseous space it forms 
the plantar arch (arcus plantaris), and gives off (¢) four digital branches (aa. metatarse 
plantares); (¢) three posterior perforating arteries (rami perforantes) to the dorsal inter- 
osseous arteries ; and (/) articular branches to the tarsal joints. 
The outermost digital branch runs along the outer side of the little toe, supplying 
the skin, joints, and the flexor tendons with their synovial sheaths. The inner three 
digital branches run forwards on the plantar surfaces of the interossei, the inner two 
lying dorsal to the oblique adductor of the great toe, and all three passing dorsal to the 
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