THE EXTERNAL ILIAC ARTERIES. 631 



the sartorius muscles, each is prolonged to the thigh, and takes the name of 

 femoral artery; and thence into the angle of the femoro-tibial articulation, 

 where it receives the designation of popliteal artery. 



Before passing to the description of these two vessels — continuations of the 

 external iliac artery — we will indicate the collateral branches which emanate 

 from this artery itself. These are two principal — the small testicular, or 

 artery of the cord, or uterine, and the circumfiex iliac . The first having been 

 already described (p. 620), we have only to notice the second. 



Circumflex Iliac Artery (Fig. 366, 11). — This artery commences at an 

 acute angle near the origin, and in front of, the external iliac ; it sometimes 

 emerges directly from the posterior aorta. It is directed outwards, passes 

 between the peritoneum and the lumbo-iliac aponeurosis, and arriving at the 

 external border of the psoas magnus muscle, or even beyond that, it bifurcates. 

 The anterior branch sends its ramifications into the transverse and small oblique 

 muscles of the abdomen, where they anastomose with the abdominal ramuscules 

 of the lumbar and intercostal branches ; the posterior Ufurcation, after giving 

 some vessels to the same muscles, traverses the abdominal wall a little below the 

 external angle of the ilium, in passing between the small oblique and iliacus 

 muscles, to descend within the anterior border of the tensor fascia lata muscle, 

 and expend itself in front of the thigh by subcutaneous divisions. 



Femoral Artery (Fig. 370, 13). 



The femoral artery, a prolongation of the external iliac, which changes its 

 name on leaving the anterior border of the pubis, at first lies beneath the crural 

 arch, beside a cluster of lymphatic glands, in the space comprised between the 

 pectineus, sartorius, and iliacus muscles. From this interstice it descends, 

 accompanied by its satellite vein, which lies behind it, and the internal saphena 

 nerve, along the pectineus and vastus internus, at the posterior border of the 

 sartorius. It soon leaves that muscle, however, to traverse the ring formed by 

 the two branches of the adductor magnus and the oblique concavity on the 

 posterior face of the femur, and reaches the superior extremity of the gastroc- 

 nemius, between which it is continued, and where it assumes the name of 

 popliteal artery. 



On its course the femoral artery distributes a certain number of collateral 

 branches to the adjacent parts. These are : the prepuhic, deep muscular, super- 

 ficial muscular, the small muscular, and saphena arteries. 



Preparation. — The animal being placed in the first position, and the limb raised, the skin 

 is carefully removed from the inner face of the thigh, the external generative organs in the 

 Inguinal region, and tlie inferior abdominal wall. The sapliena vein is first to be exposed, and 

 the branches of the artery of that name dissected ; next, the prepubic artery, which is to be 

 sought for in the inguinal canal, atid its branches prepared by dissecting from tlieir origin to 

 their termination. The excision of a portion of the adductors of the leg and the great 

 adductor of the thigh will sufficiently expose the femoral artery and its other collateral 

 branches. 



1. Prepubic Artery (Fig. 368, 4). 



This artery originates at the artificial line of demarcation separating the 

 external iliac from the femoral artery, at the superior extremity of the latter. 

 It therefore emerges from that vessel at the anterior border of the pubis, and 

 never alone, but always with the deep muscular branch, by means of a common 



