gib HUMAN ANATOMY. 



The short saphenous vein possesses from nine to ten valves in its course up the 

 leg. In its lower part it accompanies the external or short saphenous nerve, which 

 lies beneath {i.e., anterior to) it, and above it accompanies a branch of the small 

 sciatic nerve. 



Tributaries. — The short saphenous vein drains the outer border of the foot 

 and the whole of the posterior superficial portion of the crus. Near its origin it 

 receives the posterior emissaries from the superficial plantar net-work, and throughout 

 its course up the crus it receives numerous branches from the superficial net-work of 

 the posterior surface of that portion of the leg, and through this net-work makes 

 communications with the long saphenous \'ein. The terminal branch which com- 

 municates with the deep femoral vein receives a stem known as the v femoropoplitea, 

 which runs downward upon the back of the thigh, superficially, receiving branches 

 from the posterior superficial net-work of the thigh and communicating above with 

 the sciatic and gluteal veins. 



Variations. — The short saphenous vein occasionally opens into the long saphenous by the 

 enlargement of one of the anastomoses between the two veins, only a small vessel representing 

 its communication with the popliteal. It has been observed to continue up the thigh without 

 or with but a small communication with the popliteal and deep femoral veins, and, entering the 

 pelvis with the great sciatic nerve, to open into the internal iliac vein. In such cases its femoral 

 portion probably represents the original femoral portion of the sciatic vein, and has the same 

 significance as the prolongation of the popliteal up the thigh, of which mention has already been 

 made (page 911). 



The Long Saphenous Vein. 



The long or internal saphenous vein (v. saphcna magna) (Fig. 771) has its 

 origin in the junction of the inner end of the dorsal arch of the foot with the inner 

 marginal vein. It passes upward in front of the inner malleolus and then in the 

 groove between the medial border of the tibia and the inner border of the gastrocne- 

 mius muscle. As it approaches the knee-joint it bends slightly backward to pass 

 behind the internal condyle of the femur, and then continues up the thigh in an 

 almost direct course to the fossa ovalis, where it pierces the cribriform fascia and 

 opens into the femoral vein. 



It is subcutaneous throughout its entire course and possesses from twelve to 

 eighteen valves, some of which, especially in old individuals, are apt to be insufificient. 

 Throughout its course up the crus it accompanies the long saphenous nerve, and in 

 the thigh it lies at first along the line of the outer (anterior) edge of the sartorius, 

 but later crosses that muscle obliquely so as to lie internal to it above. 



Tributaries. — At its origin the long saphenous vein receives some of the more 

 posterior internal emissaries of the plantar net-work, and in its course up the crus it 

 receives the blood from all those portions of the superficial crural net-work which do 

 not communicate with the short saphenous. In the thigh it is the collecting stem 

 for all the superficial veins, those from the posterior surface frequently uniting to form 

 an accessory saphenous vein (v. saphena accessoria), while those from the 

 anterior surface may form an external superficial femoral vein (Fig. 771). 



Throughout its entire course it makes numerous connections with the deep veins, 

 with the anterior tibial by some five or six branches (vv. saphe7io-tibiales anteriores^ , 

 with the posterior tibial by usually three {vv. sapheno-tibiales posterio7-es~), and with 

 the femoral or one of its tributaries by usually a single one. Various communications 

 with the small saphenous also occur. 



In addition to these various connections, the long saphenous, receives, just 

 before its entrance into the femoral, a number of vessels which accompany some of 

 the superficial branches of the femoral artery. They are by no means constant 

 tributaries of the saphenous, but frequently pass through the cribriform fascia to 

 open directly into the femoral \ein. 



I. The External Pudic Veins. — The external pudic veins (vv. pudendae 

 externae) are, like the corresponding arteries, two in number, one superficial and 

 one deep. They have their origin in the external genitals, receiving numerous 

 veins from the anterior surface of the scrotum (vv. scrotales anteriores) or the 

 anterior portions of the labia majora (vv. labiales anteriores). They also receive a 



