436 



FEMORAL ARTERY. 



part of its course the femoral artery is covered only by the slun and fascia 

 lata, and by the sheath which invests both the artery and vein, viz., the crural 

 sheath (p. 293). In the lower part of its course it is deeply placed, being 

 covered not only by the sartorius muscle, but by a dense stratum of 

 fibrous structure, which stretches across from the tendons of the long and 

 great adductors to the vastus internus muscle, and encloses the space called 

 Hunter : 's canal, in which the vessels lie. 



The artery rests successively upon the following parts. First, upon the 

 psoas muscle, by which it is separated from the margin of the pelvis and the 

 capsule of the hip-joint ; next, it is placed in front of the pectineus muscle, 

 the deep femoral artery and vein being interposed ; afterwards, it lies upon 

 the long adductor muscle ; and lastly, upon the tendon of the great adductor, 

 the femoral vein being placed between the tendon and the artery. At the 

 lower part of its course, it has immediately on its outer side the vastus 

 internus muscle, which intervenes between it and the inner side of the 

 femur. 



At the groin the artery, after having passed over the margin of the 

 pelvis, is placed slightly in front of or internal to the head of the femur ; 

 and at its lower end, the vessel lies close to the inner side of the shaft of 

 the bone ; but in the intervening space, in consequence of the projection 

 of the neck and shaft of the femur outwards, while the artery holds a 

 straight course, it is separated from the bone by a considerable interval. 



Fig. 299. 



Fig. 299. VIEW OP THE FEMORAL VKS- 



SKLS, WITH THEIR SMALLER SUPERFICIAL 



BRANCHES IN THE RIGHT GROIN (from R. 

 Quain). ^ 



- a, the integument of the abdomen ; b, the 

 superficial abdominal fascia; b\ the part 

 descending on the spermatic cord ; c, c, the 

 aponeurosis of the external oblique muscle ; 

 c', the same near the external abdominal 

 ring; c", the inner pillar of the ring ; d, the 

 iliac part of the fascia lata ; d 1 , the pubic 

 part ; e, c, the sheath of the femoial vessels 

 laid open, the upper letter is immediately 

 over the crural aperture ; c', placed on the 

 sartorius muscle partially exposed, points to 

 the margin of the saphenic opening; 1, 

 femoral artery, having the femoral vein 2, 

 to its inner side, and the septum of the 

 sheath shown between the two vessels ; 3, 

 the principal saphenous vein ; 3', its anterior 

 branches ; 4, the superficial circumflex iliac 

 vein and arterial branches to the glands of 

 the groin ; 5, the superficial epigastric vein ; 

 6, the external pudic arteries and veins ; 7, 

 to 8, seme of the lower inguinal glands re- 

 ceiving twigs from the vessels ; 9, internal, 

 10, middle, and 11, external cutaneous 

 nerves. 



Relation to Veins. The femoral 



vein is very close to the artery, both being enclosed in the same sheath, and 

 separated from each other only by a thin partition of fibrous membrane. 

 At the groin the vein lies in the same plane as the artery, and on the inner 

 side ; but gradually inclining backwards, it is placed behind it at the 



