ANATOMY OF THE POPLITEAL SPACE. 125 



the fascia ; and some offsets of the internal cutaneous nerve towards 

 the inner side. After the subcutaneous fat is removed, the special 

 fascia of the limb will be brought into view. 



Fascia lata. Where this fascia covers the popliteal space it is Fascia of 

 itrengthened by transverse fibres, particularly on the outer side ; 

 ind it is connected laterally with the tendons bounding that ham. 

 nterval. The short saphenous vein perforates it opposite the knee, 



a little lower down. 



Dissection (fig. 51, p. 126 ; also fig. 53, p. 131). The fascia Remove 

 over the ham is now to be removed without injuring the small fascia > 

 sciatic nerve and accompanying artery, and the short saphenous 

 vein, which are close beneath it. A large quantity of fat may be and take the 



,. ,, , , . , L . . i n fat from the 



next taken out of the space, but without injury to the several small ham. 

 vessels and nerves in it. 



In cleaning the space the student will come upon the large inter- Seek the 

 nal popliteal nerve in the middle, and the external popliteal on the thTspace. 

 outer side. Both nerves give branches ; and the numerous offsets 

 )f the inner will be recognised more certainly by tracing them from 

 ibove downwards along the trunk of the nerve, than by proceeding 

 n the opposite direction : in fat bodies the two small nerves from the 

 inner popliteal trunk to the knee-joint are difficult to find. Under 

 cover of the outer boundary, and deep in the space, is an articular 

 nerve from the external popliteal. 



In the bottom of the space are the popliteal vessels, the vein Clean the 

 being more superficial than the artery. The student is to seek an vessels ; 

 irticular branch (superior) on each side, close above the condyle of 

 the femur, and to clean numerous other branches of the vessels to 

 the muscles around, especially to those of the calf. On the upper find obtu- 

 mrt of the artery, the branch of nerve from the obturator to the rator nerve 

 mee-joint is to be found ; and on the sides of the artery are three and glands. 

 or four lymphatic glands in the fat. 



The POPLITEAL SPACE, or ham (fig. 51) is the hollow behind The ham : 

 the knee : it allows of the free flexion of the joint, and contains the 

 arge vessels of the limb. When dissected, this interval has the situation 

 brm of a lozenge, and extends upwards along one-third of the a11 

 emur, and downwards along one-sixth of the tibia ; but in the 

 natural condition the muscles on the sides are approximated by 

 the fascia of the limb, and the space is limited to the region 

 immediately above the joint. 



This hollow is situate between the muscles on the back of the boundaries, 

 1mb ; and the lateral boundaries are therefore formed by the muscles 

 of the thigh (hamstrings), and leg. Thus, on the outer side, is the outer 

 3iceps muscle ( 6 ) as far as the joint, and the plantaris and the 

 external head of the gastrocnemius ( s ) beyond that spot. On the and inner : 

 inner side, as low as the articulation, are the seminiembranosus ( 4 ) 

 and semitendinosus( 5 ) muscles with the gracilis and sartorius between 

 xhem and the femur ; and below the joint is the inner head of the 

 gastrocnemius ( 7 ). The upper point of the ham is formed by the limit above 

 apposition of the inner and outer hamstrings ; and at the lower and l 

 point the heads of the gastrocnemius touch each other. 



