EXTERNAL PLANTAR ARTERY. 



447 



pollicis and flexor brevis digitorum ; (b) offsets which incline towards the inner 

 border of the foot, and communicate with branches of the dorsal arteries; 

 and (c) cutaneous offsets which appear in the furrow between the middle and inner 

 portions of the plantar fascia. 



The external plantar artery, of considerable size, at first inclines outwards 

 and then forwards, to reach the base of the fifth metatarsal bone : it then 

 turns obliquely inwards across the foot, to gain the interval between the 

 bases of the first and second metatarsal bones, where it joins, by a com- 

 municating branch, with the dorsal artery of the foot ; and thus is com- 

 pleted the plantar arch, the convexity of which is turned forward. At 

 first the artery is placed, together with the external plantar nerve, between 

 the calcaneum and the abductor pollicis ; further on it lies between the 

 flexor brevis digitorum and flexor accessorius. As it turns forwards it lies 

 in the interval between the short flexor of the toes and the abductor of the 

 little toe, being placed along the line separating the middle from the external 

 portion of the plantar fascia, and covered by that membrane. The re- 

 mainder of the artery, which turns inwards and forms the plantar arch, is 

 placed deeply against the interosseous muscles, and is covered by the flexors 

 of the toes and the lumbricales muscles. 



BRANCHES. 



A. In its course to the fifth metatarsal bone the external plantar artery gives 

 off (a) branches to the skin of the heel; (b) numerous muscular branches; (c) small 



Fig. 306. 



J2 



Fig. 306. DEEP VIEW OF THE ARTERIES IN THE SOLE 

 OP THE RIGHT FOOT (from Tiedemann). 



All the muscles have been removed, a, the calcaneal 

 tuberosity ; &, the scaphoid bone and end of the calcaneo- 

 scaphoid ligament ; c, to , ealcaneo-cuboid ligament ; 

 d, its deep part ; e, scaphoido-cuneiform ligament ; /, 

 one of the sesamoid bones of the great toe ; 1, posterior 

 tibial artery dividing into the plantar arteries ; 2, 2', 

 external plantar artery ; 2', 2", deep plantar arch termi- 

 nating by communication with the dorsal artery of the 

 foot ; 3, 3', internal plantar artery ; 3", its com- 

 munication with the internal digital of the great toe ; 4, 

 branches of the internal plantar to the inside of the foot ; 

 5, 5', first digital or external plantar branch of the fifth 

 toe ; 6, second plantar digital artery ; 6', interval of the 

 division of the same between the fourth and fifth toes ; 

 7, third plantar digital ; 7', its distribution to the third 

 and fourth toes ; 8, fourth plantar digital ; 8', its dis- 

 tribution to the second and third toes ; 9, fifth plantar 

 digital ; 9', its distribution to the first and second toes ; 

 10, internal plantar digital branch of the great toe ; 

 at the upper numbers, 6, 7, and 8, the posterior per- 

 forating branches of the interosseous arteries are par- 

 tially indicated; at 2", the large communication between 

 the plantar arch and the dorsalis pedis artery ; above 

 6', 7', and 8', are situated the anterior perforating 

 arteries, not represented in the figure; 11, and 12, 

 calcaneal branches of the plantar and posterior peroneal 

 arteries. 



offsets which run outwards over the border of the foot, 



and anastomose with the dorsal arteries ; and (d) others 



which appear in the furrow between the middle and outer divisions of the plantar 



fascia. 



