2i 4 THE INFERIOR EXTREMITY 



a fibrous band called the ligamentum inguinale (Poupartii), 

 which is attached medially to the pubic tubercle and laterally 

 to the anterior superior spine of the ilium. 



The finger should now be carried, downwards, along the 

 symphysis pubis to its lower margin, which is at the apex of 

 the pubic arch. From its apex the pubic arch must be traced 

 laterally and backwards. It is formed by the rami of the 

 pubis and ischium, and it terminates posteriorly at the tuber 

 ischiadicum, which is the protuberant inferior end of the ischial 

 part of the os coxae. The pubic arch marks the superior 

 boundary of the medial side of the thigh, which is called 

 the medial femoral region. 



Between the region of the hip and the knee lies the 

 region of the thigh, which is the proximal segment of the free 

 part of the inferior extremity. The bone of the thigh is the 

 femur. It articulates proximally with the lateral aspect of the 

 os coxae at the junction of the three segments of that bone, 

 and distatly it articulates with the tibia^ which is one of the 

 bones of the leg, and with \\\z patella or knee-cap (Fig. 101). 



In the greater part of its extent the femur is deeply 

 embedded amidst the muscles of the hip and thigh and 

 cannot easily be felt, but two parts of its proximal end can 

 be distinguished, viz., the head of the femur and the greater 

 trochanter. If pressure is made below the middle of the 

 inguinal sulcus whilst the thigh is rotated, the rounded head 

 of the femur can be distinguished as it moves in the cavity 

 of the hip joint. A more readily felt portion of the proximal 

 end of the femur is the prominent projection called the greater 

 trochanter. It lies about ten centimetres (4 inches) below the 

 iliac crest, on a level with the pubic crest, and its highest point 

 is crossed by a line drawn from the anterior superior spine of 

 the ilium to the inferior end of the tuberosity of the ischium. 

 The position of the greater trochanter is indicated, on the 

 surface, by a prominence due to the projection of the bone, 

 and the region of the prominence is the trochanteric region. 

 The area between the trochanteric region and the crest of 

 the ilium is the region of the hip. The lateral part of the 

 thigh, distal to the trochanteric region, is the lateral femoral 

 region. 



At the distal end of the anterior part of the thigh is the 

 regio genu anterior. In the middle of the region lies the 

 patella. The outline of the patella can be seen as well as 



