56 



THE BLOOD-VESSELS AND NERVES OF THE FOOT. 



Finally, the digital artery arrives at a point between the 

 navicular bone and the wing of the pedal bone, where it divides 

 into two branches, of which one runs outwards over the sur- 

 face of the OS pedis, tlie other into the substance of tlie bone. 

 The former is termed — 



(2) The preplantar artery, or artery of the wall (figs. 36, e! , 



and 38, e). Before passing 

 outward this vessel gives 

 off a twig, which is dis- 

 tributed to tlie plantar 

 cushion and sensitive sole. 

 It then passes through the 

 foramen, between the wing 

 of the OS pedis and tlie 

 lateral cartilage, and at 

 once divides into three 

 branches. The most im- 

 portant (tig. 36, d) runs in 

 a foi .ard direction in tlie 

 preplantar groove, and is 

 chiefly distributed to the 

 sensitive laminae. The 

 branch running backward 

 supplies the outer surface 

 of the posterior part of 

 the lateral cartilage and 

 the tissues adjoining with 

 blood ; that running down- 

 wards has connections with 

 the artery next mentioned. 

 (3) The plantar artery, 



of coronary plexus ; D, solar plexus ; G, circumflex ,'y.T,py. riprlQl arfprir nr avfpvv 

 vein of toe ; 3, posterior division of digital nerve ; ^^^^^^ pcuctl <\.v lei j ,ui dl Ltliy 

 4, cutaneous branches of digital nerve. ^f ^|^q SCnsitivC Sole (fig. 



38,/) is a direct continuation of the digital. After giving off 

 some twigs to the pedal joint (fig. 38, g), it passes, lying in the 

 plantar groove towards the plantar foramen, through which it 

 enters the interior of the pedal bone, where it anastomoses 

 with its fellow of the opposite side, forming a net-work, 

 the plantar-arch or semilunar anastomosis, from which small 

 arteries are given off in all directions (fig. 38, f'). These 



Fig. 37. — Foot, seen from below and behind, a, 

 digital artery ; c, artery of the plantar cushion ; /'", 

 twigs of the plantar artery, which divide to form 

 the solar plexus ; A^ digital vein ; J5, lateral portion 



