522 ANTERIOR CRURAL NERVE. 



This nerve is generally accompanied by the obturator artery 

 and vein : the artery being above, and the vein below it. 

 When it has arrived at the foramen ovale or thyroideum, it 

 sends off a branch to the internal and external obturator mus- 

 cle, and, after passing these muscles, divides into two branches, 

 which are distributed to the muscles on the inside of the thighs, 

 the adductors, the pectineusj gracilis, &c. 



From the branch which supplies the adductor brevis, a small 

 filament is sent to unite with the long saphenous nerve, which 

 comes from the crural ; the branch to the adductor longus, gives 

 off the long cutaneous nerve, which after uniting with the short 

 saphenous nerve, descends to the knee, communicates there with 

 the long saphenous nerve and is distributed to the skin upon the 

 inner side of the leg. The branch to the adductor magnus after 

 piercing this muscle, is called articular as it passes down with 

 the popliteal artery and pierces the back part of the knee joint, 

 to be distributed on the synovial membrane . 



The Crural Nerve, 



Is situated at first behind, and then on the outside of the 

 psoas muscle. It passes under Poupart's ligament with the 

 great femoral vessels, being on the outside of the artery. 



It is distributed to the integuments, and also to the muscles 

 which are situated on the anterior and internal parts of the 

 thigh. Some of its ramifications go off before it passes under 

 Poupart's ligament. Of these some muscular branches are 

 distributed in the psoas, and iliacus internus. Several of them 

 are superficial and are spent upon the integuments, and are, 

 therefore, denominated Cutaneous. They are distinguished 

 by the terms Cutaneous Anterior, Cutaneous Internus, accord- 

 ing to their situations, and are distributed to the integuments on 

 the front and inner portions of tke thigh. 



The deep-seated branches are the largest. They are prin- 

 cipally spent upon the muscles on the anterior and the internal 

 side of the thigh, namely, the four extensors, the adductors, 

 the pectineus, the sartorius and the gracilis. Among the 

 nerves coming off from the crural there is one, called the Long 



