The Hip Joint. 315 



the base formed by two limbs one, almost transverse, at- 

 tached to the anterior edge of the great trochanter, and 

 the other, directed obliquely, to the anterior spiral line. 

 The ischio-femoral, situated behind and above the joint, is 

 also triangular in shape, with the base attached to the 

 ischial margin of the acetabulum, and the apex to the digi- 

 tal fossa on the inner aspect of the upper border of the 

 great trochanter. The pectineo-femoral, . from the an- 

 terior border of the pectineal eminence, passes transverse- 

 ly outwards to the neck of the femur behind the lower 

 limb of the Y ligament. The two minor accessory bands, 

 viz., the ilio-trochanteric and the tendino-trochanteric 

 bands, from the rectus tendon to the great trochanter, also 

 assist in strengthening the upper part of the capsule. The 

 transverse ligament passes across the cotyloid notch so as 

 to convert it into a foramen, while the cotyloid deepens 

 the acetabulum, being superimposed on its margin. The 

 ligamentum teres, conoidal in form, with its apex at the 

 head of the femur and its base in the non-articular part of 

 the acetabulum, is about one and a half inches long and is 

 covered by the synovial membrane. The latter, i.e., the 

 synovial membrane, lines the interior of the joint, cover- 

 ing the head and neck of the femur and the base of the 

 acetabulum. It is prolonged from the head of the bone 

 to the latter situation over the ligamentum teres and then 

 covers the inner surface of the capsular ligament. 



The arteries, supplying the hip joint, are derived from 

 the internal and the external circumflex, the sciatic, the 

 gluteal and the obturator. The branch from the latter, 

 after ramifying in the fat at the bottom of the acetabulum, 

 passes down the ligamentum teres to the head of the fe- 

 mur to supply it. The nerves are from either the sacral 

 plexus or the great sciatic nerve, from the anterior divi- 

 sion of the obturator, the accessory obturator, and the an- 



