THE EXTERNAL ILIAC ARTERIES. 633 



2. Profunda Femoris, Great Posterior Muscular Artery of thh Thigh, 

 OR Deep Muscular Artery (Fig. 370, U) 



Arising iu common with the prepu])ic artery, the profunda femoris passes 

 backward, penetrates between the ihacus and the pectineus muscles, afterwards 

 between the latter and the external obturator muscle. In this way it arrives 

 beneath the deep face of the adductors of the thigh, when it becomes inflected 

 behind the femur, and disappears in the substance of the internal and posterior 

 crural muscles by ascending branches, wiiich anastomose with the ischiatic artery, 

 and descending and internal branches, the terminal ramifications of which open 

 into those of the obturator artery. 



The principal twigs of the coxo-femoral articulation are derived from this 

 vessel. 



3. SuPERFiciALis Femoris, Superficial Muscular or Great Anterior 

 Muscular Artery (Fig. 370, 15). 



Smaller than the preceding, and commencing opposite to it, but a little 

 lower, this artery passes downwards, outwards, and forwards, runs between the 

 sartorius and the musculo-tendinous cone which terminates in common the psoas 

 magnus and iliacus, furnishes some ramuscules to these muscles, dips into the 

 interstice separating the vastus internus from the rectus femoris, and is lost in 

 the mass of the triceps cruris. 



This vessel, therefore, resembles the iliaco-femoral artery, which enters this 

 triceps by penetrating between the rectus femoris and the vastus externus. 



4. Innominate or Small Muscular Arteries. 



The femoral artery gives oif on its course numerous small branches to the 

 neighbouring muscles, though too diminutive to merit particular description. 

 One of these furnishes the nutrient artery of the femur — the largest, perhaps, 

 of all the arteries supplying bones. Another (Fig. 368, 17) sends to the stifle 

 a long articular branch, analogous to the great anastomoticus of Man, which 

 descends along the vastus internus, beneath the adductors of the leg, at the 

 interstice separating these two muscles. 



5. Saphena Artery (Fig. 370, 16). 



This artery, remarkable for its small volume, the length of its course, and 

 its connections with the vein of the same name, supplies the skin on the inner 

 side of the thigh and leg. 



It takes its origin, at an acute angle, from nearly the middle of the femoral 

 artery, either alone or in common with one of the principal innominate muscular 

 branches, and becomes superficial in passing into the interstice of the two 

 adductors of the leg, or in traversing one of these, usually the gracilis. It lies 

 on the surface of this muscle, beside the saphena vein, and bifurcates at the 

 angle of union of the two roots which constitute that vessel. One of the 

 branches acoompanies the anterior vein to nearly the lower third of the leg ; 

 the other follows the posterior vein, and usually anastomoses in the hollow of the 

 hock, above the calcis, with a branch from the posterior tibial artery, and which 

 also communicates with one of «he branches of the femoro-popliteal arter7. 



