680 



NERVES OF THE LOWER LIMB. 



articular arteries of that side. They sometimes arise together, and the 

 upper one occasionally springs from the great sciatic nerve before the bifur- 

 cation. 



From the place of division of the external popliteal nerve, a recurrent 

 articular nerve ascends through the tibialis anticus muscle with the recur- 

 rent artery to reach the fore part of the knee-joint. 



Fig. 449. Fig. 449. CUTANEOUS NERVES OF THE 



OUTER SIDE OF THE LEG AND FOOT 

 (from Sappey after Hirschfeld and 

 Leveille*). 



1, external popliteal nerve ; 2, its 

 external cutaneous branch ; 3, communi- 

 cating branch which unites with 4, that 

 form the internal popliteal in 5, the ex- 

 ternal saphenous nerve ; 6, calcaneal 

 branch of the external saphenous; 7, 

 external dorsal digital branch to the fifth 

 toe ; 8, collateral dorsal digital branch 

 of the fourth and fifth toes ; 9, musculo- 

 cutaneous nerve ; 10, its cutaneous 

 branches ; 11, loop of union with the 

 external saphenous; 12, union between 

 its outer and inner branches ; 13, an- 

 terior tibial nerve, shown by the removal 

 of a part of the muscles, and giving 

 muscular branches superiorly ; 14, its 

 terminal branch emerging in the space 

 between the first and second toes, where 

 it gives the collateral dorsal digital 

 branches to their adjacent sides ; 15, 

 branches to the peronei muscles. 



CUTANEOUS NERVES. The cuta- 

 neous branches, two or three in 

 number, supply the skin on the 

 back part and outer side of the 

 leg. 



The peroneal communicating 

 branch (r. communicans fibularis), 

 which joins the short sapheuous 

 nerve below the middle of the 

 back of the leg, is the largest of 

 these nerves. In some instances, 

 it continues a separate branch and 

 its cutaneous filaments reach down 

 to the heel or on to the outside of 

 the foot. 



Another cutaneous branch extends along the outer side of the leg to the 

 middle or lower part, sending offsets both backwards and forwards. 



MUSCULO-CUTANEOUS NERVE. 



The musculo-cutaneous (peroneal) nerve descends between the peronei 

 muscles and the long extensor of the toes, and reaches the surface by per- 

 forating the fascia in the lower part of the leg on the anterior aspect. It 

 then divides into two branches, distinguished as external and internal, 

 which proceed to the toes. The two branches sometimes perforate the 

 fascia at a different height. 



