240 CIRCULATORY SYSTEM. 



off successively from the profunda, they are designated numeri- 

 cally. In some cases, however, they are reduced to one, by be- 

 ing concentrated in a common trunk, which, penetrating high 

 up the adductor magnus, and afterwards descending on its pos- 

 terior face, is dispersed upon the muscles on the back of the 

 thigh. 



The First Perforating Artery arises somewhat below the tro- 

 chanter minor, and penetrates the adductor magnus a little be- 

 low its superior margin. One of its branches ascends towards 

 the trochanter major, where it anastomoses with the external 

 circumflex and with the gluteal, while another descending is 

 spent upon the heads of the flexor muscles of the leg. 



The Second Perforating artery gets to the back of the thigh, 

 at the lower margin of the insertion of the gluteus magnus into 

 the linea aspera, being distributed in that region, and to the cor- 

 responding portion of the long head of the biceps flexor cruris. 



The Third Perforating Artery penetrates the Adductor mag- 

 nus somewhat below the commencement of the short head of 

 the biceps, and is dispersed upon the adductor and the adjacent 

 portion of the flexor muscles. 



The Fourth Perforating Artery penetrates the insertion of 

 the adductor magnus an inch and a half above the opening in 

 itt for the femoral artery; it, in the same way, supplies the pos- 

 terior face of the adductor and the adjacent muscles. 



As a summary, it will be readily understood that the pro- 

 funda is, in this way, through the external and the internal cir- 

 cumflex, and through the perforating arteries, distributed upon 

 all the large muscles of the thigh. 



After the origin of the profunda, the Femoral Artery gives 

 off, at different points of its course to the opening of the ad- 

 ductor magnus, several twigs the size of a large knitting needle; 

 which go to the sartorius, the gracilis, the adductors, and the 

 extensors on the front of the thigh; but they are too inconstant 

 to require a more particular description. 



The Anastomosing Artery (</lrlerici Jlnastomotica) is the 

 last branch of the femoral, and arises just before it perforates 

 the adductor magnus. It descends to the knee, in front of the 



