130 LABORATORY MANUAL OF HUMAN ANATOMY 



(d) Epicondyles of femur. Which is the more prominent? 



(e) Line of the knee-joint. Flex and extend the leg to render this study 



easier. 

 (/) Head of fibula (capitulum fibulae). Determine its relation to the 



tibia and femur. 

 (g) Position of common peroneal nerve (TV. peronaeus communis). What 



relation does it bear to the lateral hamstring muscle 1 ? 



Skin and Superficial Fascia. 



Make an incision in the middle line of the posterior surface 

 of the thigh through the popliteal fossa from a point ten or 

 twelve centimetres above the bend of the knee to a point ten 

 centimetres below it. Two transverse incisions should next be 

 made, one at each end of the vertical incision, and the flaps 

 formed reflected medialward and lateralward respectively. (See 

 Figs. 3 and 52.) Make the parts tense by means of a large block 

 placed under the knee. 



Note the general characteristics of the superficial fascia. Re- 

 move this fascia piecemeal, examining the following : 



(a) Twigs of posterior cutaneous nerve of thigh (N. cutaneus femoris 



posterior) (0. T. small sciatic). In what part of this space does 

 the terminal branch of this nerve pierce the deep fascia? 



(b) Small saphenous vein (V. saphena parva). Preserve intact this 



vein and any of its radicles that you may find. What is the femoro- 

 popliteal vein (V. femoropoplitea) ? (Vide Spalteholz, Fig. 509.) 



(c) Superficial lymphatic vessels (vasa lymphatica superficialia) . (Vide 



Fig. 50.) 



Boundaries of Fossa Poplitea. 



The fossa poplitea is diamond-shaped. Its roof is formed by 

 the deep fascia (fascia cruris), sometimes called the " popliteal 

 fascia. " Note carefully the density of this fascia. After the 

 fascia has been studied, incise it in the median line and reflect 

 each way. Care should be exercised to avoid injuring the com- 

 municating fibular nerve (N. communicans peronaeus) and a 

 bursa situated between the M. semimembranosus and the medial 

 head of the M. gastrocnemius. 



Next study the lateral boundaries : 



(a) Biceps muscle (M. biceps femoris). 



(b) Semitendinosus muscle (M. semitendinosus) . 



(c) Semimembranosus muscle (M. semimembranosus). 



(d) Gastrocnemius muscle (M. gastrocnemius). 



(da) Lateral head (caput laterale). 



(db) Medial head (caput mediale). 



(e) Plantaris muscle (M. plantaris). 



