DISSECTION OF THE LEG. 



Dissection. The peroneal artery will now be completely exposed 

 by cutting away the flexor longus hallucis as far as may be 

 necessary. 



The PERONEAL ARTERY (fig. 74, </) is often as large as the pos- 

 terior tibial, and arises from that vessel about one inch from the 

 beginning. It takes the fibula as its guide, and lying close to that 

 bone in a fibrous canal between the origins of the flexor longus 

 hallucis and tibialis posticus, reaches the lower part of the inter- 

 osseous membrane. At this spot it sends forwards a branch to the 

 front of the leg (anterior peroneal) ; and, as the posterior peroneal, is 

 directed onwards behind the articulation between the tibia and 

 fibula to the outer side of the heel (/i), where it terminates in 

 branches, which anastomose with offsets of the tarsal and external 

 plantar arteries. Two companion veins surround the artery ; and 

 the nerve to the flexor hallucis lies on it generally. 



BRANCHES. Besides the anterior peroneal, it furnishes muscular, 

 medullary, and communicating offsets. 



a. Muscular branches are distributed to the soleus, tibialis 

 posticus, and flexor hallucis ; and some turn round the fibula to the 

 long and short peroneal muscles, lying in grooves in the bone. 



6. The medullary artery is smaller than that to the tibia, and is 

 transmitted through the tibialis posticus to an aperture about the 

 middle of the fibula. 



c. The anterior peroneal branch passes forward through an open- 

 ing below the interosseous membrane, and is continued to the 

 dorsum and outer part of the foot (fig. 70, p. 183) ; on the front of 

 the leg and foot it anastomoses with the external malleolar and tarsal 

 branches of the anterior tibial artery, and has already been exposed 

 (p. 182). 



d. A communicating offset near the ankle joins in an arch with a 

 similar branch of the posterior tibial. 



Peculiarities. The anterior branch of the peroneal may take the place of 

 the anterior tibial artery on the dorsum of the foot. 



A compensating principle may be observed amongst the arteries of the foot, 

 as in those of the hand, by which the deficiency in one is supplied by an 

 enlarged offset of another. 



Posterior The POSTERIOR TIBIAL VEINS begin at the inner side of the foot 



tibial veins: i )V t j ie un i on o f the plantar vense comites : they ascend one on each 

 side of the artery, and unite with the anterior tibial at the lower 

 border of the popliteus to form the large popliteal vein. They 

 receive the peroneal veins, and branches corresponding with the 

 offsets of the artery : branches connect them with the saphenous 

 veins. 



Posterior The POSTERIOR TIBIAL NERVE (fig. 74, 3 ), a continuation of the 



tlbial nerve : internal popliteal (p. 129), reaches like the artery from the lower 



border of the popliteus muscle to the interval between the os calcis 



Peroneal 

 artery : 



courses 

 along fibula, 



beneath 

 flexor 

 hallucis ; 



termination 



veins and 

 nerve ; 



branches : 

 Muscular. 



Medullary 

 to fibula. 



Anterior 

 peroneal 



to front of 

 foot. 



Communi- 

 cating. 



Substitu- 

 tions. 



extent 



and rela- 

 tions; 



and the inner malleolus. While beneath the annular ligament, or 

 somewhat higher than it, the nerve divides into the internal and 

 external plantar branches of the foot. 



Its relations to surrounding muscles are the same as those of the 



