DISSECTING MANUAL. 



the Subcrureus; and Vastus interims, one trunk to its upper 

 part (and the Crureus also) , and another to its inner side below, 

 descending on the outer side of the femoral artery and crossing 

 Hunter's canal. Articular branches. One goes to the hip, aris- 

 ing from the branch to the Rectus. Four supply the knee; 

 three arise from the branches to the Vasti and Crureus and de- 

 scend in front of the femur; one arises (sometimes) from the 

 internal saphenous. The cutaneous branches are the middle and 

 internal cutaneous and the internal saphenous. [645] 



The middle cutaneous arises in the upper part of Scarpa's tri- 

 angle in two parts (an external and an internal branch), which 

 pierce the fascia lata over the upper third of the Sartorius, sup- 

 plying it, and descend to the patella. They supply the lower 

 three-fourths of the front of the thigh, between the external 

 and internal cutaneous, and also join the patellar plexus; the 

 external branch communicates with the genital branch of the 

 genito-crural, and may pierce the Sartorius. [646] 



The internal cutaneous varies with the size of the internal 

 saphenous and the cutaneous branch of the obturator. It sup- 

 plies the lower two-thirds of the inner side of the thigh through 

 three branches (upper, middle, and lower), which descend to 

 the apex of Scarpa's triangle on the outer side of the femoral 

 vessels and then cross over them. The upper branch arises high 

 up, pierces the fascia lata at the apex of Scarpa's triangle, and 

 supplies the upper part of the thigh, along the saphenous vein; 

 it may be represented by several twigs. The middle (or ante- 

 rior) branch arises at the apex of Scarpa's triangle, runs over 

 the Sartorius, becomes cutaneous at the middle third of the 

 thigh, and supplies the lower half internally down to the knee; 

 it joins the patellar plexus. The lower (or internal) branch, the 

 termination, descends over or through the Sartorius, forms a 

 plexus (obturator) with the internal saphenous and obturator 

 in the middle third of the thigh, pierces the fascia lata in the 

 lower third, and supplies the inner side of the knee, joining the 

 patellar plexus. [646] 



[282] 



