FEMORAL ARTERY, AND ITS BRANCHES. 237 



even below the crural arch. It ascends outwardly towards the 

 anterior superior spinous process of the ilium, along the posterior 

 margin of the crural arch, and following afterwards the dire^r 

 tion of the crista of the ilium, it anastomoses with the corre- 

 sponding branch of the ilio-lumbar artery. 



The following branches come from it. In the earl)- part of 

 its course some unimportant twigs are sent to the adjacent mus- 

 cles, as the sartorius, iliacus internus, and so on. At the ante- 

 rior superior spinous process, it divides into two branches; the 

 smaller ascends between the internal oblique and the transversa- 

 lis muscle, and is distributed upon them; the other branch, 

 which is the continuation of the main trunk along the crista of 

 the ilium at the margin of the iliacus internus muscle, sends ra- 

 mifications to the latter, and also to the posterior part of the 

 broad muscles of the abdomen, where it anastomoses with the 

 other arteries of this region. 



Of the Femoral Artery. 



The Femoral Artery (Arteria Femoralis, Cruralis,) the conti- 

 nuation of the external iliac, extends from the crural arch to the 

 perforation for its passage through the adductor magnus, which 

 is commonly one-third of the whole length of the os femoris, 

 above the knee joint. This great trunk, immediately below 

 Poupart's ligament is very superficial, and may be felt pulsating 

 where it passes over the pubes. It is there covered only by the 

 common integuments, and the fascia femoris, which is thin; it 

 is bounded internally by the femoral vein, externally by the 

 crural nerve, is half-way between the anterior superior spinous 

 process and the symphysis of the pubes, and lies upon the inter- 

 nal face of the psoas magnus over the interstice between it and 

 the pectineus. In the upper third of its course the femoral ar- 

 tery is at the inner edge of the rectus femoris, and at a short 

 distance from it; it then inclines inwards, and occupies the angle 

 formed by the adhesion of'the vastus internus to the adductor 

 longus. The sartorius, at first, is remote at its outside, but this 

 muscle inclining inwards in its descent gets to the exterior mar- 

 gin of the artery, and afterwards covers it completely for the re- 



