FEKORAL ARTERY, AND ITS BRANCHES. 239 



and the cruralis, giving oft' some inconsiderable ramifications. 

 While between these muscles it divides into two branches, one 

 of which ascends, and the other descends; the former is distti^ 

 buted to the anterior margins of the gluteus medius and minimus, 

 to the capsule of the joint, and the parts about the trochanter 

 major, anastomosing with the gluteal and the ischiatic. It is 

 said by Meckel, that these anastomoses have been found much 

 dilated where the external iliac artery has been taken up. The 

 descending branch is about the size of a crow quill, or even 

 larger; it first passes obliquely downwards between the rectus 

 femoris and the cruralis, it then descends vertically under the 

 anterior margin of the vastus externus, between it and the cru- 

 ralis, to terminate at the knee, where it becomes superficial and 

 anastomoses with the articular arteries. It is, however, prin- 

 cipally distributed to the vastus externus and to the cruralis. 



6. The Internal Circumflex Artery (Arteria Circumflex* In- 

 ternal) arises from the profunda, near the external circumflex, 

 generally below it, but sometimes the reverse; in some cases, 

 it comes from the femoral artery itself, near the crural arch. 

 It passes transversely inwards, and dips into the interstice be- 

 tween the pectineus and the psoas magnus, after having given 

 off some small twigs to the heads of the adjoining adductors. 

 It then winds under the neck of the os femoris and divides into 

 two branches; the upper one goes to the capsular ligament of 

 the joint, to the obturator externus muscle, anastomoses with 

 the obturator artery, and sends a branch behind the adductor 

 brevis to the upper part of the adductor magnus: the inferior 

 branch is larger than the other; it descends behind the ad- 

 ductor magnus and is distributed in branches to it, to the gra- 

 cilis, and to the hamstring muscles, sending upwards some rami- 

 fications (rami trochanterici) to the parts about the trochanter 

 major, where they anastomose with the external circumflex ar- 

 tery. 



c. Muscular branches of inconstant origin, and of inconsider- 

 able size, are sent from the profunda to supply the anterior face 

 of the adductor muscles. 



d. The Perforating Arteries (Rami Profundi Perforates) ob- 

 tain the name from their perforating the adductor magnus, which 

 they do near the linea aspera, so as to get to the back of the 

 thigh. They commonly are four in number, and as they come 



