UPPER EXTREMITY AND THORAX, ANTERIOR. 317 



muscular to the flexor carpi ulnaris and flexor profundus 

 digitorum (inner portion). In the hand, digital to the 

 inner side of the little finger, the adjacent sides of the little 

 and ring fingers ; communicating to the inner digital branch 

 of the median ; muscular to the palmaris brevis, flexor, 

 abductor, and opponens minimi digiti, to the two inner 

 lumbricals, all the interossei, the adductor and inner head of 

 the flexor brevis pollicis (adductor obliquus). (e) The inner 

 head of the median. 



The median nerve. The median nerve is formed at the 

 outer side of the third portion of the axillary artery by a 

 branch from the outer and inner cords, the branch from the 

 inner cord crossing in front of the artery to get to its 

 outer side. The nerve then continues down the front of 

 the arm in the same sheath with the brachial artery, cross- 

 ing either in front or behind the artery to attain its inner 

 side at the elbow. From the elbow the nerve descends 

 through the forearm, passing between the two heads of the 

 pronator radii teres, then between the flexor sublimis and 

 the flexor profundus digitorum muscles. At the wrist the 

 median traverses the central compartment of the annular 

 ligament and enters the palm, where it breaks up into its 

 terminal branches. At the elbow, the median gives off an 

 articular branch to the joint and muscular to the super- 

 ficial layer of muscles ; these muscles are the pronator radii 

 teres, flexor carpi radialis, palmaris longus, and flexor 

 sublimis digitorum ; then through its anterior interosseous 

 branch it supplies the flexor longus pollicis, the outer side of 

 the flexor profundus digitorum, and the pronator quadratus. 

 In the hand, the median supplies the abductor, opponens, 

 and outer head of the flexor brevis pollicis muscles, and the 

 outer two lumbricals. The digital distribution is to the 

 thumb, the index, middle, and outer side of the ring fingers. 



