988 



THE VASCULAR SYSTEM. 



gastric artery, and separates that vessel from the medial border of the psoas 

 major muscle. In its whole course the vein lies anterior to the obturator nerve. 

 It is usually provided with one bicuspid valve; sometimes there are two, but both 



are usually incompetent. Its tributaries 

 correspond to the branches of the ex- 

 ternal iliac artery; that is, the deep 

 circumflex iliac and inferior epigastric 

 veins open into it, close to its com- 

 mencement, whilst, in addition, it fre- 

 quently receives the pubic vein. 



The pubic vein forms a communica- 

 tion between the obturator vein and the 

 external iliac vein. It varies in size, 

 and may form the main termination of 

 the obturator vein, from which it arises. 

 Commencing in the obturator canal, 

 it ascends, along the pubic branch of 

 the inferior epigastric artery, to reach 

 the external iliac vein. 



Superficial epigastric i 



Superficial circumflex 

 ,T iliac vein 



Superficial external 



pudendal vein 



Femoral vein 



Great saphenous vein 



Lateral superficial 

 femoral vein 



Medial superficial 

 femoral vein 



Great saphenous vein 



THE SUPEKFICIAL VEINS OF THE 

 INFEKIOK EXTREMITY. 



The superficial veins of the lower 

 limb terminate in two trunks, one of 

 which, the small saphenous vein, passes 

 from the foot to the popliteal space; 

 whilst the other, the great saphenous vein, 

 extends from the foot to the groin. 



The superficial veins of the sole of 

 the foot form a fine plexus, immediately 

 under cover of the skin, from which 

 anterior, medial, and lateral efferents 

 pass. The anterior efferents terminate 

 in a transverse arch which lies in the 

 furrow at the roots of the toes, and the 

 medial and lateral efferents pass round 

 the sides of the foot to the great or small 

 saphenous veins. The transverse arch 

 receives also small plantar digital veins 

 from the toes, and it communicates by 

 intercapitular veins with the veins on the 

 dorsum of the foot. 



The superficial veins on the dorsal 

 aspect of each toe unite to form two 

 dorsal special digital veins, which run 

 along the borders of the dorsal surface. 

 The special dorsal digital veins of the 

 adjacent borders of the interdigital clefts 

 unite, at the apices of the clefts, to form 

 four dorsal me ta tar sal veins which ter- 

 minate in the dorsal venous arch. The 

 dorsal digital vein from the medial side of 

 the great toe ends in the great, and that 

 from the lateral side of the little toe in the small saphenous vein. 



Arcus Venosus Dorsalis Pedis. The dorsal venous arch lies in the subcutaneous 

 tissue, between the skin and the dorsal digital branches of the superficial peronseal 

 nerve, opposite the anterior parts of the bodies of the metatarsal bones. It ends, 

 medially, by uniting with the medial dorsal digital vein of the great toe to form 



Great saphenous vein 



Dorsal venous arch 



FIG. 794. THE GREAT SAPHENOUS VEIN AND ITS 

 TRIBUTARIES. 



