THE FEMUR 101 



line (does not connect the trochanters) ; it commences at the 

 tubercle of the femur, and runs down and in a finger's breadth 

 in front of the small trochanter; it gives attachment to the 

 capsular ligament, the united crureus and vastus internus 

 muscles. 



The shaft is arched with its convexity forward; toward the 

 middle it is partly cylindrical, and expanded below. It presents 

 anterior and lateral surfaces without definite lines of demarca- 

 tion. All these surfaces are covered by the crureus and vasti 

 muscles. Behind, the lateral surfaces are separated by the 

 linea aspera. This is a prominent ridge extending along the 

 middle third of the shaft, bifurcating above and below. The 

 external lip is prolonged up to the great trochanter; its upper 

 end is strongly marked for the gluteus maximus, constituting 

 the gluteal ridge. The inner lip winds around below the small 

 trochanter, merging into the anterior intertrochanteric line 

 and forming the lower part of the spiral line; rising from the 

 inner lip, a third line passes up to the small trochanter and 

 gives attachment to the pectineus. 



Inferiorly the two lips are prolonged to the condyles as the 

 internal and external supracondylar lines, enclosing the flat 

 popliteal surface of the femur. The inner line is interrupted 

 where the femoral vessels lie against the bone, and terminates 

 below in the adductor tubercle. Above the centre of the linea 

 aspera is the medullary foramen, directed upward; a second 

 may exist near the lower end of the bone. 



To the inner lip of the linea aspera is attached the vastus 

 internus, to the outer lip the vastus externus, and diagonally 

 between the two the adductor magnus. Between the adductor 

 magnus and vastus externus are the gluteus maximus and 

 short head of the biceps; between the adductor magnus and 

 vastus internus are the iliacus, pectineus, adductor brevis, 

 and adductor longus. At the lower part of the popliteal space 

 above each condyle is the origin of one head of the gastroc- 

 nemius, and externally of the plantaris. 



The inferior extremity presents two rounded condyles, united 

 in front, but separated behind by the intercondylar notch; the 

 external is broader and more prominent in front, the internal 

 longer and more prominent internally. The inner aspect of 

 this condyle and the head of the femur face nearly the same 

 direction. 



