ANTERIOR CRURAL NERVE. 573 



497) supplies the muscles, and most of the teguments of the front of the 

 thigh, and the integuments of the inner side of the leg. Soon after the 

 trunk of the nerve leaves the abdomen it is flattened, and is divided into 

 superficial and deep parts. 



A. The superficial part ends in three tegumentary branches : the mid- 

 dle and internal cutaneous of the thigh, and the great saphenous. 



The middle cutaneous nerve (fig. 192, 2 ) perforates the fascia lata, some- 

 times also the sartorius, about three inches below Poupart's ligament, and 

 extends to the knee (p. 556). 



The internal cutaneous nerve (fig. 192, 3 ) sends two or more small twigs 

 through the fascia lata to the integument of the upper third of the thigh, 

 and then divides in front of the femoral artery, or on the inner side, into 

 the two following branches, anterior and inner. Sometimes these branches 

 arise from the anterior crural trunk at separate spots : 



The anterior branch ( 3 ) is directed to the inner side of the knee. As 

 far as the middle of the thigh it lies over the sartorious, but it then pierces 

 the fascia lata, and ramifies in the integuments (p. 557.) 



The inner branch remains beneath the fascia lata as far as the knee (p. 

 557). Whilst underneath the fascia the nerve lies along the inner border 

 of the sartorius, and joins in a plexus, about the middle of the thigh, with 

 offsets of the obturator and, nearer the knee, with a branch of the internal 

 saphenous nerve. 



The internal saphenous nerve (fig. 197) is the largest of the three super- 

 ficial branches. In the thigh the nerve takes the course of the deep blood- 

 vessels, and is continued along their outer side, beneath the aponeurosis 

 covering the same, as far as the opening in the adductor magnus muscle. 

 At that spot the nerve passes from beneath the aponeurosis, and is pro- 

 longed under the sartorius muscle to the upper part of the leg, where it 

 becomes cutaneous (fig. 192, 4 ). It supplies two offsets whilst it is con- 

 tained in the thigh beneath the fascia : 



A communicating branch arises about the middle of the thigh, and 

 crosses inwards beneath the sartorius to join in the plexus of the internal 

 cutaneous and obturator, or with the internal cutaneous nearer the knee : 

 this branch is often absent. 



The patellar branch springs from the nerve near the knee joint, and 

 perforating the sartorius muscle and the fascia lata, ends in the integument 

 over the knee (fig. 192, 5 ). 



B. The deep or muscular part of the anterior crural nerve (fig. 197) 

 gives branches to all the muscles of the front of the thigh, except the 

 tensor vaginae femoris ; and it supplies also an offset to one of the adduc- 

 tor muscles, viz., the pectineus. 



A slender nerve (fig. 195, 2 ) crosses beneath the femoral artery, and 

 enters the anterior surface of the pectineus: sometimes there are two. 



Branches to the sartorius are furnished by the middle, or by the inter- 

 nal cutaneous nerve, whilst it is in contact with that muscle. 



A nerve enters the under surface of the rectus at the upper part, and 

 divides into branches as it is about to penetrate the fibres. 



The nerve to the vastus externus separates into two or more branches 

 as it enters the muscle. From one of these an articular filament is con- 

 tinued downwards to the knee joint, which it enters on the anterior aspect. 



The nerve to the vastus internus (fig. 197) is nearly as large in size as 

 the internal saphenous, in common with which it often arises. To the 



