250 SURGICAL ANATOMY OF THE 



thigh, being throughout its extent from the apex of 

 Scarpa's space, a satellite to the femoral artery and vein ; 

 between these muscles lie the rectus femoris, becoming 

 associated in the inferior third with the underlying mus- 

 cles, the vasti and crureus, which envelop the femur 

 from the great trochanter to the patella. Beneath the 

 crureus is the subcrureus, inserted into the synovial mem- 

 brane of the knee-joint, which extends upwards beneath 

 the extensors and the periosteum of the femur for about 

 three to four inches. Its office is to draw up the mem- 

 brane, so that in extreme and sudden extension of the 

 articulation it may not be pinched between the femur 

 and the patella. 



The Femoral Artery in the middle of the Thigh Hun- 

 ter's Canal. Commencing at the apex of Scarpa's space, 

 the artery describes an oblique course, lying covered over 

 by the sartorius in its sheath, immediately beneath which 

 is a strong fibrous aponeurosis, derived from the vastus 

 interims externally, and the tendons of insertion of the 

 adductor longus and magnus internally. This aponeu- 

 rosis is very thin in the upper part of the middle femoral 

 region, but becomes very dense lower down, terminating 

 in a sharp margin, beneath which the internal saphena 

 nerve leaves the vessel. External to the femoral vessels, 

 is the vastus internus muscle ; and internal to them are 

 the tendons of the adductor longus and magnus, and be- 

 hind them are the conjoined tendons of the vastus inter- 

 nus and adductors ; and in the middle third, the fibres 

 of the vastus internus alone separate the vessels from the 

 femur. In this canal, which is triangular in section, 

 with its apex at the femur, lie the femoral artery and 

 vein posterior to and very intimately united with it ; the 

 long saphena nerve enters it with the vessels, above and 



