534 A MANUAL OF ANATOMY. 



the former ; under Poupart's ligament it lies external to the 

 femoral artery ; a little lower it breaks up into its branches, 

 muscular and cutaneous. See Thigh, anterior. 



The muscular branches supply the pectineus (by a branch 

 which passes behind the femoral vessel), sartorius, rectus 

 femoris, vasti, arid crureus. The hip joint receives a small 

 branch from the nerve to the rectus, and the knee, from the 

 nerves to the vasti and crureus. 



The cutaneous branches. The middle pierces the fascia 

 lata three or four inches below Poupart's ligament and sup- 

 plies the anterior region to the knee. The internal is dis- 

 tributed to the antero-internal lower two-thirds of the thigh 

 and knee. 



The long or internal saphenous nerve. Follows the 

 femoral artery through Hunter's canal until the artery turns 

 backward through the opening in the adductor magnus. 

 In this canal the nerve lies first to the outside of the artery, 

 then crosses it in front to reach the inside. 



From Hunter's canal, the nerve continues downward, 

 passes between the sartorius and gracilis (behind the former 

 as usually given), and appears superficial at the inner side 

 of the knee, and supplies the antero-internal surfaces of 

 knee, leg, and ankle. In its course from Hunter's canal to 

 the knee the nerve is accompanied by the superficial branch 

 of the anastomotica magna artery. In the leg, the nerve 

 follows the internal saphenous vein. Just above the knee 

 the nerve gives off the branch which supplies the antero- 

 internal surface of that joint. 



(6) The obturator nerve. From the second, third, and 

 fourth lumbar nerves. Descends between the psoas and base 

 of the sacrum, behind the iliac vessels, passes forward and 

 inward just below the level of the brim of the pelvis and 

 between the peritoneum and pelvic fascia, to leave the pelvis 



