368 NEUROLOGY, OR ANATOMY OF NERVOUS SYSTEM 



It joins the crural branch of the genitocrural and the internal 

 cutaneous nerves. 



(b) The internal cutaneous crosses the femoral artery and 

 divides into two branches, anterior and posterior. It supplies 

 several cutaneous filaments which follow the course of the 

 long saphenous vein, one reaching to the knee. The anterior 

 branch runs to the knee, perforating the fascia lata low down, 

 and, crossing the patella to its outer side, communicates with 

 a branch of the long saphenous nerve. The posterior branch 

 runs along the posterior border of the sartorius, communicates 

 with the internal saphenous nerve, and supplies the skin of 

 the inner side of the thigh (lower part) and leg. It perforates 

 the fascia lata at inner side of knee. It also joins branches 

 of the obturator beneath the fascia. 



(c) Branch to the pectineus passing behind the femoral 

 vessels. 



(d) Branches to the sartorius from the middle cutaneous. 

 POSTERIOR PORTION. (a) Branch to the rectus femoris; also 



sends a twig to the hip-joint. 



(6) Branch to the vastus externus. 



(c) Branches to the crureus: One of these sends a filament 

 to the knee-joint. 



(d) Branch to the vastus internus accompanies the saphenous 

 nerve and sends a filament to the knee-joint. 



(e) The internal saphenous nerve accompanies the femoral 

 vessels, being at first external to and later crossing the artery. 

 It then runs beneath the sartorius to the inner side of the 

 knee, pierces the fascia, and accompanies the saphenous vein 

 along the inner side of the leg. Passing in front of the inner 

 ankle, it ends on the inner side of the metatarsus. It commu- 

 nicates with the obturator and internal cutaneous nerves. 



Branches supply the skin of the leg. The terminal branches 

 communicate with the musculocutaneous, and a patcllar branch 

 spreads out over the knee and joins in the patellar plexus. 



The Sacral and Coccygeal Nerves 



The Posterior Divisions. In the sacral region, of the upper 

 three, the internal branches end in the multifidus spinre, and 

 the external anastomose with the fourth sacral and last lumbar. 

 They send oft' filaments over the great sciatic ligament, finally 

 ending in the skin by two branches. 



