THE LOWER EXTREMITY, POSTERIOR. 619 



of the popliteal artery. (2) Cutaneous. Two in number, 

 one to the upper and outer part of the leg. The other 

 (the fibular communicating, peroneal, or nervus communi- 

 cans peronei) passes to the back of the calf, where at the 

 middle of the leg it joins with the tibial communicating 

 (nervus communicans tibialis) to form the short or external 

 saphenous nerve. (3) The recurrent articular nerve, a 

 small branch at the point of bifurcation of the external 

 popliteal ; it follows the anterior tibial recurrent artery to 

 the front of the knee. 



The Internal Popliteal Nerve. Fig. 128. 



This is larger than the external popliteal and is the direct 

 continuation of the great sciatic. It extends from the bi- 

 furcation of the great sciatic vertically through the middle 

 of the popliteal space and becomes the posterior tibial at 

 the lower border of the popliteus muscle. 



The nerve is the most superficial of the important con- 

 tents of the popliteal space. In the upper third it lies ex- 

 ternal to the popliteal vessels, in the middle directly behind 

 them, and in the lower third to their inside. In front of 

 the nerve lies the popliteal vein and in front of the vein the 

 artery. The order then is, from behind forward, nerve, vein, 

 and artery. 



Branches. 



(i) Articular, to the inner side and back of the knee 

 joint being found with the superior and inferior internal 

 and azygos articular branches of the popliteal. (2) Cuta- 

 neous, this is the tibial communicating (nervus communicans 

 tibialis). It is given off the internal popliteal nerve at the 

 middle of the popliteal space, descends in the interval be- 

 tween the two heads of the gastrocnemius, pierces the deep 

 fascia of the leg, is joined by the fibular communicating, 



