418 SAPHENOUS NERVE. 



The Muscular branches are several large twigs which are distri- 

 buted to the muscles on the anterior aspect of the thigh. Two or 

 three of these branches are sent to the sartorius ; one to the tensor 

 vagince femoris, one to the rectus, one to the vastus externus, and 

 one of very large size to the vastus internus and crurseus. The 

 latter sends off a cutaneous branch and several filaments to the 

 periosteum of the lower part of the femur, and to the articulation of 

 the knee. 



The Branch to the femoral sheath is a small nerve which passes 

 inwards to the sheath of the femoral vessels at the upper part of the 

 thigh, and divides into several filaments which surround the femoral 

 and profunda vessels. Two of these filaments, one from the front, 

 and the other from the posterior part of the sheath, unite to form a 

 small nerve which escapes from the saphenous opening and passes 

 downwards with the saphenous vein. Other filaments are distributed 

 to the adductor muscles, and communicate with the internal saphe- 

 nous nerve. 



The Short saphenous nerve inclines inwards to the sheath of the 

 femoral vessels, and divides into a superficial and a deep branch. 

 The superficial branch passes downwards along the inner border of 

 the sartorius muscle to the lower third of the thigh, it then joins the 

 internal saphenous vein and accompanies that vessel to the knee- 

 joint, when it terminates by communicating with the long saphenous 

 nerve. The deep branch descends upon the outer side of the sheath 

 of the femoral vessels, and crosses the sheath at its lower part to a 

 point opposite to the termination of the femoral artery, where it 

 divides into several filaments which constitute a plexus by their 

 communication with other nerves. One of these filaments commu- 

 nicates with the descending branch of the obturator nerve, another 

 with the long saphenous nerve, and two or three are distributed to 

 the integument upon the internal and posterior aspect of the thigh. 



The Long saphenous nerve inclines inwards to the sheath of the 

 femoral vessels, and entering the sheath accompanies the femoral 

 artery to the tendinous canal formed by the adductor longus and 

 vastus internus muscles. It then quits the artery, and, passing be- 

 tween the tendons of the sartorius and gracilis, descends along the 

 inner side of the leg with the internal saphenous vein, crosses in 

 front of the inner ankle, and is distributed to the integument on the 

 inner side of the foot as far as the great toe. 



The internal saphenous nerve receives at its upper part a large 

 branch of communication from the obturator nerve, and another at 

 the inner side of the knee-joint. In its course it gives off an articu- 

 lar branch for the supply of the synovial membrane of the knee- 

 joint, and several cutaneous nerves ; one to the integument of the 

 thigh ; one, of large size, which pierces the lower part of the sartorius 

 and distributes filaments to the integument of the knee, and some to 

 the integument of the leg, of the inner ankle, and of the inner side 

 of the foot. 



The Obturator nerve is formed by a branch from the third, and 



