THE ANTERIOR FEMORAL REGION 



511 



portion on the outer side of the femur is termed the Vastus externus; that covering 

 the inner side, the Vastus internus; and tha f covering the front of the femur, the 

 Crureus . 



The Rectus femoris ( m. rectus femoris) is situated in the middle of the anterior 

 region of the thigh; it is fusiform in shape, and its superficial fibres are arranged 

 in a bipenniform manner, the deep fibres running straight down to the deepapon- 

 eurosis. It arises by two tendons one, the anterior or straight, from the anterior 

 inferior spine of the ilium; the other, the posterior or reflected tendon, from a groove 

 above the brim of the acetabulum; the two unite at an acute angle and spread 



PEOAS MAGNUS 



SARTORIU8 



RECTUS FEMORIS 



OBTURATOR 

 INTERNUS 

 PYRIFORMISy../ 



GLUTEU8 

 MINIMUS 



PYRIFORMI8 

 PECTINEUS 

 pBTU RATOR 



EXTERNUS 



ADDUCTOR LONGUS 

 'ADDUCTOR BREVIS 

 QRACILIS 



ADDUCTOR MAGNUS 

 QUADRATUS FEMORIS 

 PSOAS AND ILIACU8 



FIG. 382. Diagram showing the attachments of the muscles of the thigh. 

 Origins, red; insertions, blue. 



Anterior aspect. 



into an aponeurosis, which is prolonged downward on the anterior surface of the 

 muscle and from which the muscle fibres arise. 1 The muscle terminates in a 

 broad and thick aponeurosis, which occupies the lower two-thirds of its posterior 

 surface, and, gradually becoming narrowed into a flattened tendon, is inserted 

 into the patella in common with the Vasti and Crureus. Between the tendon of 

 origin and the acetabulum there is often a bnrsa (bursa m. recti femoris). 



1 Mr. W. R. Williams, in an interesting paper in the Journ. of Anat. and Phys., vol. xiii, p. 204, points out 

 that the reflected tendon is the real origin of the muscle, and is alone present in early fetal life. The direct 

 tendon is merely an accessory band of condensed fascia. The paper will well repay perusal, though in some 

 particulars the description in the text is more generally accurate. 



