140 



DISSECTION OF THE THIGH. 



Cutaneous 

 arteries. 



Cutaneous 

 nerves. 



Ilio-inguinal 

 is near 

 scrotum. 



Genito-cru- 

 ral reaches 

 the middle 

 of thigh : 



unusual 



state. 



External 

 cutaneous, 



posterior, 

 and 



anterior 

 branches. 



a similar way. When this arrangement exists three large veins will 

 be present on the front of the thigh, near the saphenous opening. 

 On the side of the knee the vein 

 receives a communicating branch from 

 the deep veins. 



Some unnamed cutaneous arteries are 

 distributed to the integuments along 

 with the nerves ; and the superficial 

 branch of the anastomotic artery (p. 154) 

 accompanies the saphenous nerve and 

 its branches near the knee. 



NERVES. The cutaneous nerves of 

 the thigh are derived from branches 

 of the lumbar plexus, and in greater 

 number on the inner than the outer 

 side. 



ILIO-INGUINAL. This nerve is small, 

 and reaches the surface by passing 

 through the external abdominal ring 

 (fig. 55, 7 ) ; it supplies the scrotum, and 

 ends on the adjacent part of the thigh, 

 internal to the saphenous vein. 



GENITO-CRURAL. The crural branch 

 of this nerve from the first and second 

 lumbar nerves, pierces the fascia lata 

 near Poupart's ligament (fig. 55, 6 ) 

 rather external to the line of the 

 femoral artery. After or before the 

 nerve has become superficial it com- 

 municates with the middle cutaneous 

 nerve ; and it extends on the anterior 

 aspect of the thigh as far as midway 

 between the knee and the pelvis. 



Occasionally this branch is of large 

 size, and takes the place of the external 

 cutaneous nerve on the outer side of 

 the limb. 



The EXTERNAL CUTANEOUS NERVE 



from the second and third lumbar 

 nerves ramifies on the outer aspect of 

 the limb (fig. 55, i). At first it is 

 contained in a prominent ridge of the 

 fascia lata on the outer margin of the 

 thigh, where it divides into an anterior 

 and a posterior branch. 

 The posterior branch subdivides into two or three others, which 



arch backwards to supply the integuments half-way down the outer 



side of the thigh. 



The anterior branch appears on the fascia lata about four inches 



from Poupart's ligament and is continued to the knee below the 



FIG. 55. CUTANEOUS NERVES 

 ON THE FRONT OP THE 

 THIGH. 



1. External cutaneous. 



2. Middle cutaneous. 



3. Internal cutaneous. 



4. Internal saphenous. 



5. Patellar branch of 



6. Genito-crural. 



7. Ilio-inguinal. 



8. Ilio-hypogastric on the 



belly. 



