90 OSTEOLOGY. 



upper third a blunt roughened prominence, the trochanter 

 interims, from which a ridge extends upwards to the head, and 

 to which the psoas magnus, iliacus, and vastus internus muscles 

 are attached. From this trochanter another ridge, to which the 

 pectinens muscle is inserted, runs downwards, the nutrient fora- 

 men being in its lower part. 



The proximal extremity terminates in the head and the 

 trochanter major. The head is the smooth articular portion 

 directed upwards and inwards, and is received in the cotyloid 

 cavity ; it is separated from the body by a constricted portion, 

 the neck, not well marked in solipedes, and between the head 

 and neck there is a ridge for the attachment of the capsular 

 ligament. The deep notch at the inner part of the head is for 

 the attachment of the pubio-femoral and round ligaments. The 

 trochanter major is a very large eminence, which projects out- 

 wards and upwards, and presents posteriorly a prominent part 

 termed the summit, which stands a little higher than the arti- 

 cular head, and gives attachment to one portion of the gluteus 

 maximus muscle, and anteriorly the convexity, which is rounded 

 and covered externally by cartilage, over which plays another 

 tendon of the gluteus maximus, and becomes inserted to the 

 ridge just below. Behind the trochanter, and between it and 

 the head, is the trochanteric or digital fossa, around and in 

 which several small muscles are inserted ; bounding this fossa 

 externally is the trochanteric ridge, continuous with the posterior 

 part of the summit of the trochanter. 



The distal extremity presents posteriorly two condyles, and 

 anteriorly a trochlea ; the condyles, which articulate with the 

 head of the tibia, are placed side by side, being separated by a 

 deep inter condyloid groove, from which the interosseous crucial 

 ligaments of the articulation spring, and into which the spine of 

 the tibia projects. The external condyle has two fossae on the 

 outside, one for the origin of the popliteus, and one for the 

 external lateral ligament ; the internal condyle has a roughened 

 prominence on its lateral surface, for the attachment of the 

 internal lateral ligament, the adductor magnus, and part of the 

 adductor longus muscles. 



The trochlea is the pulley-shaped part to the front of the 

 condyles, which articulates with the patella ; it consists of two 

 prominences divided by a groove, and it is in a line with the 

 intercondyloid fossa. The internal prominence is the thickest 



