THE LOWER EXTREMITY, ANTERIOR. 569 



upper part of the thigh. It is formed by the sartorius 

 muscle upon the outside, the adductor longus on the inside, 

 and Poupart's ligament above, which forms the base of the 

 triangle. 



The " floor" of the space is formed from without in- 

 ward by the lower portion of the iliacus, the tendon of the 

 psoas magnus, the pectineus, the adductor longus, and (in 

 thin people) the adductor brevis muscles. The triangle is 

 crossed from the middle of the base to the apex at the 

 junction of the sartorius and adductor longus by the 

 femoral vessels and the anterior crural nerve and its 

 branches. 



The relations of these structures under Poupart's liga- 

 ment is nerve, artery, and vein from without inward. 



Internal to the vein is the femoral opening or canal. See 

 below, also page 525. 



At the apex of the triangle the vein turns backward so 

 as to lie nearly behind the artery, while the branches of 

 the nerve are to the outside of and in front of the 

 vessels. 



The triangle is covered by the fascia lata, the two layers' 

 of the superficial fascia, and the integument. 



The Femoral Canal 



Is the space left within the femoral sheath (at the inside 

 of the femoral vein, between the vein and Gimbernat's 

 ligament and the conjoined tendon). There is no canal 

 unless made by the descent of a femoral hernia or by the 

 dissector. When a femoral hernia develops it leaves the 

 abdomen through the femoral opening at the inner side of 

 the terminus of the external iliac vein, descends along the 

 inside of the femoral vein, and makes its appearance through 

 the saphenous opening. 



