THE HIND EXTREMITY. 203 



and epigastric arteries. The artery of the cord (of the 

 male) generally arises from the external iliac near its 

 commencement, and runs to the internal abdominal ring, 

 where it commences to -supply the structures of the 

 posterior part of the spermatic cord ; in the female this 

 artery is termed the uterine, it is very large and runs 

 directly backwards to supply the uterus, being much 

 enlarged in pregnant animals. The main trunk of 

 the external iliac continues along the brim of the pelvis 

 and about one and a half inches below the pectinean 

 tubercle it breaks up, forming the arteria profunda femoris 

 and the femoral artery. Arteria profunda femoris passes 

 in a direction backwards, but gives ofl' the epigastric artery, 

 which runs forwards. It then passes between pectineus 

 and the terminal portion of psoas magnus and iliacus 

 above trochanter minor internus, then externally to ischio- 

 femoralis, and so gains triceps abductor femoris, which it 

 mainly supplies. It sends a long branch downwards with 

 the sacro-sciatic nerve to supply biceps rotator tibialis and 

 ischio-tibialis. The epigastric artery arises from arteria 

 profunda femoris about half an inch from its origin, 

 courses its way forwards over the inner surface of the 

 femoral artery and thus gains the muscles of the flank, 

 where its terminal ramifications blend with those of the 

 numerous arteries supplying this region, while one of its 

 branches, the external pudic, passes downwards, and after 

 passing through the external abdominal ring, in the female 

 supplies the mammary gland with blood, in the male the 

 penis, breaking up to form the anterior dorsal artery of the 

 penis, which runs forwards towards the glans, and the 

 posterior dorsal artery of the penis, which runs backwards 

 to anastomose with the branches of the internal pudic 

 branch of the obturator arter}^ 



The femoral artery from the neck of the ilium passes 

 downwards over the internal surface of the insertion of 

 iliacus, and here gives off the inguinal branch, which dips 

 with the crural nerve between rectus femoris and vastus 

 internus. It then passes over the inner surface of the 

 femur, through the femoral space, giving off muscular 

 branches forwards and backwards and the medullary artery 

 of the femur, the largest medullary artery in the body. It 

 courses its way between the insertions of pectineus and the 

 short head of biceps adductor femoris on the one side, and 



