260 CIRCULATORY SYSTEM. 



front of the fore arm, and which, a few inches below the bend 

 of the arm, divides into two. One branch runs outwardly, in 

 ascending for an inch or two, and joins, at the outer side of the 

 bend of the arm, the cephalic vein; it is called, therefore, the 

 Median Cephalic. The other branch continues to ascend, and, 

 crossing obliquely the direction of the brachial artery, it re- 

 ceives, near the latter, the anterior trunk of the basilic vein, 

 and somewhat above the bend of the arm, runs into the proper 

 basilic vein: it is called the Median Basilic. 



There is frequently a departure from the preceding arrange- 

 ment of the median vein; the most common is where a trunk 

 begins from the cephalic, below the bend of the arm, and runs 

 obliquely in front of the latter to join the main trunk of the 

 basilic above the elbow joint. This oblique trunk stands in the 

 place of median cephalic and median basilic, and receives suc- 

 cessively the median, the anterior, and the posterior basilic. 

 It is frequently the median itself, and has a short anastomosis, 

 in such case, with the cephalic vein. 



The Superficial Veins anastomose frequently with each other, 

 so that, when they are all fully injected, a plexus of veins is 

 found immediately beneath the skin of the upper extremity 

 from one end to the other. The Venre Satellites also anasto- 

 mose frequently by branches which cross the artery to which 

 they belong. At the bend of the arm, at the wrist, and in dif- 

 ferent places, there are also anastomoses between the deep- 

 seated and the superficial veins. 



The Axillary Vein (Vena Axillaris) results from the union of 

 the basilic with the brachial vein. It is below and in front of 

 the axillary artery, being included in the same sheath with it, 

 and also involved with the axillary plexus of nerves. It retains 

 its name from the lower margin of the arm pit to the under 

 surface of the clavicle, where, like the artery, it is then called 

 subclavian. In this course it is joined near the points where 

 the corresponding arteries are given off, by the Anterior and 

 the Posterior Circumflex Vein; by the Scapular; and by the 

 External Thoracics. 



The Subclavian Vein (Vena Subclavia] extends from the ter- 



