i6o THE SURGICAL ANATOMY OF THE HORSE 



divisions, which make their appearance in the interstice between the 

 sartorius and gracilis muscles in company with the saphena artery and 

 vein. The more anterior of the two divisions descends in front of 

 the internal saphena vein. It gives off a number of branches which 

 are distributed superficially on the inner aspect of the stifle, and 

 others which ramify similarly on the inner aspect of the leg, whilst 

 its terminal filament may reach as far as the front of the hock. The 

 posterior division runs down behind the internal saphena vein, and 

 gives off branches which course downwards and backwards superficially 

 on the inner side of the leg. It then passes beneath the posterior 

 root of this vein, and continues its downward course behind the anterior 

 root, its terminal ramifications being found superficially placed on the 

 inner aspect of the hock. 



PARALYSIS OF THE ANTERIOR CRURAL NERVE 



Paralysis of the anterior crural nerve is by no means uncommon, 

 and is a much more frequent occurrence than is generally conceded. 



In practice when dealing with the common paralyses of the nerves 

 of the limbs, loss of power can generally be attributed to direct relation- 

 ship of the nerve at some part of its course, to the skeleton, and it 

 is thus found that undue pressure is exerted upon the nerve on account 

 of some abnormal condition of the osseous structure to which it is related. 

 Thus we have musculo-spiral paralysis due to pressure of the callus 

 formed after fracture of the first rib, upon the roots of the brachial plexus 

 from which the fibres of this nerve are chiefly derived ; obturator 

 paralysis resulting from severe pressure of the callus formed in front of 

 the obturator foramen ; suprascapular paralysis resulting from pressure 

 on the nerve by the coracoid border of the scapula, &c. But from our 

 description of the course and relationships of the anterior crural nerve 

 we find that from the point of its detachment from the lumbo-sacral 



