'ihe Thigh. 333 



Relations of the soft parts at the middle of the thigh. 

 This portion of the thigh corresponds (1) to the middle 

 of the insertion of the adductor longus; (2) to the lower 

 limit of insertion of adductor brevis ; (3) to the middle of 

 the linea aspera, where the division into its three lips is 

 marked; (4) to where the adductor magnus, at its inser- 

 tion, crosses over from the upper half of the outer lip to the 

 lower half of the inner lip of the linea aspera; (5) to 

 where the aponeurotic expansion for the tendon of the 

 biceps begins ; ( 6 ) to about where the sartorius changes 

 the direction of its fibres; (7) to where the third perfor- 

 ating branch of the profunda arises and perforates the ad- 

 ductor magnus ; (8) to the origin of the branch from the 

 long saphenous nerve to the plexus at the lower border of 

 the adductor longus ; ( 9 ) to where the long saphenous 

 nerve reaches the front of the femoral artery; (10) to the 

 middle of the incision for the exposure of the artery in 

 the ligation of the vessel in Hunter's canal. 



Fracture of Femur. The neck of the femur is 

 strengthened by a special arrangement of the cancelli, 

 which consist of two sets one, running up the inner portion 

 of the shaft and then diverging, so as to end in the great 

 trochanter and in the upper part of neck and head of 

 femur ; while the other set passes up the outer side of the 

 shaft and terminates in gradually increasing curves that 

 occupy the great trochanter and neck and that cross the 

 first set at right angles. In addition to this arrangement 

 whereby the neck of the femur is strengthened, thus ena- 

 bling it to best support the weight of the body, there is pre- 

 sent, a vertical plane called the "calcar femorale," which 

 passes upwards towards the digital fossa, from the lower 

 part of the base of the neck, near the lesser trochanter. The 

 posterior wall of the neck is weaker than the anterior, since 

 that, if it be followed from the head outwards, it is found to 



