144 ANATOMY OF UPPER EXTREMITY, ETC. 



When the brachial artery passes behind the supra-condy- 

 loid process (p. 106), the median nerve always follows ii 

 but the nerve may curve around the process without th< 

 artery ; if the process exists the nerve invariabty deviate 

 from its course, the artery generally, but not always. The 

 median nerve is sometimes accompanied by an artery of 

 considerable size, called the median artery, given off by the 

 anterior interosseous or ulnar ; it accompanies the nerve to 

 the hand, where it joins one of the palmar arches, or one 

 of the digital branches. 



The ULNAR ARTERY, at its origin from the brachial, lies 

 upon the brachialis anticus muscle ; it then dips beneath 

 the flexor sublimis digitorum, crosses obliquely to the 

 inside of the arm, and, at its middle third, becomes more 

 superficial, lying between the tendons of the flexor sublimis 

 and flexor carpi ulnaris, to which it gives several muscular 

 twigs ; it crosses the annular ligament under a strong 

 fascia thrown over it from the pisiform bone, and there 

 forms the superficial palmar arch, covered in by the palmar 

 fascia. Just beyond its origin it gives off the anterior 

 ulnar recurrent branch, which, passing backward between 

 the brachialis anticus and pronator radii teres muscles, 

 breaks up into muscular branches, and inosculates with 

 the inferior profunda and anastomotica magna of the bra- 

 chial. The posterior ulnar recurrent branch sometimes 

 originates by a common trunk with the preceding, and 

 sometimes is given off a little lower down ; it passes be- 

 neath the superficial muscles of the inside of the forearm, 

 and emerging beneath the tendon of the flexor carpi ulnaris 

 at the side of the ulnar nerve, anastomoses with the inferior 

 profunda and anastomotic arteries. The common inter- 

 osseous artery is given off just below these branches, and 

 its divisions will be hereafter described. The ulnar artery 

 gives off only muscular branches until it reaches the wrist, 

 where it furnishes an anterior carpal branch to the front, 

 and a posterior carpal branch to the back of the wrist, 

 both of which pass transversely across to anastomose 

 with similar branches from the radial. In cases of high 

 division, the ulnar artery is usually superficial in the fore- 

 arm. 



The ulnar artery is accompanied by two venae comites. 



The ULNAR NERVE, after passing under the origin of the 

 flexor carpi ulnaris, continues beneath that muscle to about 

 the middle of the forearm, where it joins the arterj T , and 



