BEANCHES OF THE INTERNAL ILIAC ARTERY. 399 



branch of the opposite side, and with an offset from the epigastric 

 fcrtery. 



Sometimes the obturator takes origin from the deep epigastric, 

 as explained on p. 284, or from the external iliac artery. 



The sciatic artery (fig. 148, ?i) is the largest branch of the anterior Sciatic 

 division of the internal iliac, and is continued over the pyriformis arter y 

 muscle and the sacral plexus to the lower part of the great sacro- in the pelvis, 

 isciatic foramen, where it issues between the pyriformis and the 

 coccygeus muscles. Outside the pelvis it divides into branches and outside 

 beneath the glutens maximus, and is distributed to the buttock : in ltf 

 the pelvis it supplies the pyriformis and coccygeus muscles. 



The internal pudic artery (fig. 148, o) supplies the perineum and Pudic artery 

 the genital organs, and has nearly the same relations in the pelvis J^JlJ: 

 as the sciatic. It accompanies the sciatic artery, though external 

 to it, and leaves the pelvis between the pyriformis and coccygeus. 

 At the back of the pelvis it winds over the ischial spine of the 

 hip-bone, and enters the perineal space, where it has already 

 been examined. The artery gives some unimportant offsets in 

 the pelvis, and frecmentlv the middle hsemorrhoidal branch arises some small 

 from it. offsets ' 



Accessory pudic (R. Quain). The pudic artery is sometimes smaller than An acces- 

 usual, and fails to supply some of its ordinary perineal branches, especially 

 the terminal one to the penis. In those cases the deficient branches are 

 derived from an accessory aitery, which takes origin from the internal iliac 

 (mostly from the trunk of the pudic), and courses forwards on the side of 

 the bladder and the prostate gland, to perforate the triangular ligament. 

 It furnishes branches to the penis to supply the place of those that are 

 wanting. 



The uterine artery (fig. 147, d) passes inwards between the layers uterine 

 of the broad ligament to the neck of the uterus, where the vessel artery 

 changes its direction, and ascends in a tortuous manner along the 

 side of the uterus up to the fundus. Numerous branches enter the 

 substance of the uterus, and ramifying in it, are remarkable for 

 their tortuous condition. At the neck of the uterus some small offsets to 

 twigs are supplied to the upper part of the vagina and to the va 

 bladder, communicating with branches of the vaginal artery. At joins 

 the fundus of the uterus some branches proceed outward along the ov 

 Fallopian tube and anastomose with the ovarian artery from the 

 aorta. A branch also proceeds from the upper part of the uterus 

 along the round ligament. 



The INTERNAL ILIAC VEIN receives the blood from the wall of internal 

 the pelvis, and the pelvic viscera, by branches corresponding for p ^tion n to 

 the most part with those of the artery. The vein is a short thick its artery ; 

 trunk, which is situate at the posterior and inner aspect of the 

 artery ; and it ends by uniting with the external iliac to form the ending ; 

 common iliac vein. 



Tributaries, Most of the vessels entering the trunk of the its branches 

 internal iliac vein have the same anatomy as the arteries ; but the peculiar are 

 following branches, the pudic and the dorsal vein of the penis, 

 the vesical and haemorrhoidal, the uterine and vaginal, have some 

 peculiarities. 



