THE FEMUR, OR THIGH BONE 



221 



The Femur, or Thigh Bone 

 (Figs. 175, 177). 



The femur, (femur) is the long- 

 est, 1 largest, and strongest bone 

 in the skeleton, and almost per- 

 fectly cylindrical throughout the 

 greater part of its extent. In the 

 erect posture it is not vertical, 

 being separated from its fellow 

 above by a considerable interval, 

 which corresponds to the entire 

 breadth of the pelvis, but inclin- 

 ing gradually downward and in- 

 ward, so as to approach its fellow 

 toward its lower part, for the 

 purpose of bringing the knee-joint 

 near the line of gravity of the 

 body. The degree of this incli- 

 nation varies in different persons, 

 and is greater in the female than 

 the male, on account of the greater 

 breadth of the pelvis. The femur, 

 like other long bones, is divisible 

 into a shaft and two extremities. 



The Upper or Proximal Ex- 

 tremity presents for examination 

 a head, a neck, and a greater and 

 a lesser trochanter. 



The head (caput femoris), which 

 is globular and forms rather more 

 than a hemisphere, is directed up- 

 ward, inward, and a little forward, 

 the greater part of its convexity 

 being above and in front. Its 

 surface is smooth, coated with 

 hyaline cartilage in the recent 

 state, except at a little behind and 

 below its centre, where there is 

 an ovoid depression (fovea capitis 

 femoris), for the attachment for 

 the ligamentum teres. 



The neck (collum femoris) is 

 a flattened pyramidal process of 

 bone which connects the head 

 with the shaft. It varies in length 

 and obliquity at various periods in 

 life and under different circum- 

 stances. The angle is widest in 

 infancy, and becomes lessened 

 during growth, so that at puberty 

 it forms a gentle curve from the 



1 In n man six feet high it measures eighteen 

 inches one-fourth of the whole body stature. 



OBTURATOR INTERNUS 



Depression for 



LIGAMENTUM TERES. 



FIG. 175. Right femur. Anterior surface. 



