UPPER PART OF FEMORAL VESSELS. 149 



lata and some inguinal glands. At its beginning the artery rests 

 on the psoas muscle ; and it is subsequently placed over the 

 pectineus (E), though at some distance from the muscle in this 

 position of the limb, and separated from it by fat, and the profunda 

 and femoral veins. 



Its companion vein (h) is on the inner side and close to it at the position of 

 pubis, but is placed behind the artery lower down. 



The anterior crural nerve lies on the outer side, being distant nerves. 

 about a third of an inch near Poupart's ligament ; and the internal 

 cutaneous branch of the nerve lies over the artery along the edge 

 of the sartorius. Crossing beneath the vessels is the nerve of the 

 pectineus ( 2 ). 



Unusual position. A fe\v examples of transference of the main artery of Unusual 

 the limb from the front to the back of the thigh have been recorded. In P sition - 

 these cases the vessel passed from the pelvis through the great sacro-sciatic 

 foramen, and accompanied the great sciatic nerve to the popliteal space. 



The BRANCHES of the artery in Scarpa's triangle are the superficial Branches: 

 epigastric and circumflex iliac, two external pudic, and the deep 

 femoral branch. The cutaneous offsets have been seen (p. 138), 

 with the exception of the following, which lies at first beneath the 

 fascia lata. 



The deep external pudic artery (fig. 57, e) arises separately from, An external 

 or in common with, the other pudic branch. It courses inwards 

 over the pectineus muscle, and perforates the fascia lata at the 

 inner border of the thigh to end in the scrotum or labium pudendi, 

 according to the sex : in the fat it anastomoses with branches of the 

 superficial perinea! artery. 



The portion of the artery above the origin of the DEEP FEMORAL 

 is called the COMMON FEMORAL, and the part below is styled the 

 SUPERFICIAL FEMORAL to distinguish it from the deep. 



The DEEP FEMORAL ARTERY or the prof unda femoris (fig. 59, 2 ) Profuuda: 

 arises from the outer side of the common femoral trunk from one 

 or two inches below Poupart's ligament. Its distribution is to the origin, 

 muscles of the thigh, and will be afterwards followed. In the 

 present dissection it may be seen to lie over the iliacus muscle, triangle; 

 where it gives the external circumflex artery to the outer part of 

 the thigh ; and then to turn, with a large vein, beneath the trunks 

 of the superficial femoral vessels to the inner side of the limb. 



Variation in origin. The origin of the profunda may approach nearer to 

 Poupart's ligament until it arrives opposite that band ; or may even go beyond, varies. 

 and reach the external iliac artery (one example, R. Quain). And the 

 branch may recede farther from the ligament, till it leaves the parent 

 trunk at the distance of four inches from the commencement ; but in this 

 case the circumflex branches usually arise separately from the femoral. In 

 applying a ligature to the femoral artery in the upper part of the thigh, 

 the thread should be placed four inches below Poupart's ligament, in order 

 that the spot chosen may be free from the disturbing influence of so large an 

 offset. 



FEMORAL VEIN (fig. 57, h). The principal vein of the limb, Femoral 



while in Scarpa's triangle, has almost the same relative anatomy first inside 



the artery, 



