642 A MANUAL OF ANATOMY. 



The External Plantar Nerve. Figs. 133, 134. 



This is the outer branch into which the posterior tibial 

 divides behind the internal malleolus. The nerve (with the 

 external plantar artery) runs forward and outward between 

 the flexor brevis digitorum and the flexor accessorius, and 

 divides into two branches at the base of the fifth metatarsal 

 bone, the superficial and deep. 



Before this division the nerve supplies muscular branches 

 to the flexor accessorius and the abductor minimi digiti, 

 and cutaneous twigs to the outer border of the sole of the 

 foot. 



The superficial branch. This supplies muscular branches 

 to the interossei in the space between the fourth and fifth 

 toes, and the flexor brevis minimi digiti, a communicating 

 branch to the internal plantar, and digital branches to the 

 adjacent one and one-half outer toes (adjacent side of the 

 fourth and fifth, and outer side of the latter). 



The deep branch. This accompanies the external plantar 

 artery into the deep parts of the foot. It supplies the two 

 (sometimes three) outer lumbricales, adductor hallucis, 

 transversus pedis, and the rest of the interossei (those in the 

 three inner spaces). 



The External Plantar Artery. Figs. 133, 134. 



This is the larger branch into which the posterior tibial 

 divides behind the internal malleolus. The artery passes 

 forward and outward, being covered by the abductor hallu- 

 cis and the flexor brevis digitorum, to the outer segment 

 of the foot until it reaches the base of the fifth metatarsal 

 bone, where it turns short inward, passing deeply between 

 the interossei muscles and the lumbricales and flexor ten- 

 dons, and terminates at the posterior part of the space be- 

 tween the first and second metatarsal bones where it forms 



