JsEKVES OF THE FOOT. 5ft 



coronary plexus and of the plexus of the plantar cushion, 

 form the digital vein. 



(b) The deep plexus (fig. 38, JS) lies embedded in the depres- 

 sions of the inner surface of the lateral cartilage, which we 

 have already noticed. It likewise is formed by somewhat 

 large vessels intimately connected with the superficial plexus 

 by means of apertures in the lateral cartilage. As a rule, this 

 plexus receives — 



(5) The plantar vein (fig. 38, H), which issues from the foramen 

 in the pedal bone, and is to be found lying in the plantar groove 

 along with the plantar artery. It is formed by intraosseous 

 branches, which collect and carrv off the blood after its circula- 

 tion in the pedal bone, but it has nothing to do with the 

 removal of blood supplied to the horn-secreting structures. 

 During its course it often receives veins from the pedal articu- 

 lation, though, in other cases, these open separately into the 

 deep coronary plexus. 



(6) The venous plexus of the plantar cushion (fig. 37, B) is 

 really nothing more than an extension backwards and upwards 

 over the bulbs of the heel of a part of the solar plexus, the 

 meshes of the net-work becoming wider, the veins larger ; 

 afterwards they unite to form large vessels, which, as already 

 noted, assist in the construction of the digital veins. During 

 its course upwards the digital vein of the foot (A) lies in front 

 of its artery at the side of the flexor tendons, receiving, in 

 addition to some innominate cutaneous veins, the suffraginal 

 and perpendicular veins. After the digital veins pass the fet- 

 lock joint, they unite in front of the flexor tendons and form a 

 plexus, from which the metacarpal veins (3) arise. Their con- 

 tained blood, however, has yet to traverse a large number of 

 other vessels before it reaches the heart. 







B. THE NERVES. 



The nerves are white, rounded cords of varying thickness, 

 which arise from the brain and spinal cord, and, in their course, 

 usually accompany the arteries. Like the latter, they divide 

 into stems and branches, and are finally lost in the tissues 

 which they supply. Whilst the blood-vessels carry to and fro 

 material for the nutrition of the tissues, the nerves preside 



