124 DISTRIBUTION OF THE VEINS. 



communications with the occipital sinus and posterior cere- 

 bral veins, medulla oblongata, and spinal marrow; it also 

 receives vessels from the deep-seated muscles in the vicinity, 

 and ends in the anterior vena cava, just behind the first rib. 



The axillary vein returns the blood distributed by the 

 axillary artery to the various parts of the fore extremity ; 

 there is a superficial and deep-seated set ; the former run 

 under the skin, the latter among the muscles. The plantar 

 veins are an intricate network of small veins, and cover the 

 foot with a venous netting. The veins of the sole pour their 

 blood into the veins of the lamina ; the latter increase in size 

 towards the coronet, and gradually unravel themselves, so as 

 to collect in a great many branches; these run upward, 

 through the substance of the coronary ligament, and form 

 the superficial coronary vein ; from them other branches pro- 

 ceed and join the deep coronary, and afterwards unite in a 

 single vein opposite the pastern joint. 



The veins of the frog, after ramifying in the form of net- 

 work over that body, ascend into the heel, growing larger as 

 they leave the foot ; they make a single branch at the pas- 

 tern joint, then unite with the vein coming from the lamina, 

 thereby forming the plantar vein. The plantar vein ascends, 

 unites with other vessels, and becomes metacarpal. 



The metacarpal veins, two in number, result from the union 

 of the plantar ; these veins pursue their course up the leg, 

 one on either side, to the back of the knee, where they end 

 in anastomosis. The internal metacarpal vein preserves the 

 line of the splint bone. These vessels receive in their course 

 cutaneous veins from the front of the cannon, and one or two 

 descending veins from the back of the leg ; it afterwards forms 

 the deep-seated veins of the arm. 



The superficial brachial vein ascends along the inner side 

 of the radius to the elbow-joint ; here it crosses over to the 

 front of the biceps and pursues its ascent upon that muscle 

 towards the point of the shoulder, and then passes inward to 

 the jugular vein. In its course to the latter, it receives nu- 

 merous cutaneous and muscular branches, communicates with 



