588 



THE ARTERIES 



forating the deep fascia, supply the skin and fascia of the calf. A branch, usually 

 of moderate size, accompanies the short or external saphenous vein, and is 

 sometimes called the posterior saphenous artery. 



(2) The muscular or sural branches are conmionly divided into the superior 

 and inferior. They arise from \\w upper and lower portions of the popliteal 

 respectively; the former sup])ly the muscles forming the boundaries of the upper 

 half of the popliteal space; the latter, the muscles of the calf. 



(a) The upper muscular branches — or superior sural, as they are sometimes 

 called — are distributed to the hamstring muscles and lower part of the adductor 



Fig. 375. — Side View of the Right Popliteal Artery. 

 (From a dissection in the Hunteiian Museum.) 



x#''?^. 



Ffimoral artery and vein 



BRANCHES OF THE 

 ly'TERSAL CUTA- 

 NEOUS NERVE 



Aponeurotic covering 

 of Hunter's canal 



Anaslomotica magna 

 artery 



LONG SAPHENOUS 

 NEE VE 



Vertical fibers of the 

 adductor magnus — 



Popliteal artery — ^-^\ 



Vastus internus 

 Cut edge of fascia lata 



BRANCH OF SAPHE- 

 NOUS NERVE TO 

 PATELLAR PLEX- 

 US 



SMALL SCIATIC 

 NERVE 



Adductor magnus 



Internal saphenous vein 



Part of semi- 

 tendinoBus 



magnus. They anastomose with the superior articular arteries, and with the ter- 

 mination of the i)rofunda. (6) The inferior muscular or sural branches, usually 

 two in numljer and of large size, come oil from the pojditual just as it jKisses under 

 cover of the inner head of the gastrocnemius. They at iirst descend between the 

 two heads of the latter muscle, one branch then entering the outer, and one the 

 inner head. They also supply branches to the soleus and plantaris muscles. 



(3) The articular, five in number, are divided into two superior (internal and 

 external), two inferior (internal and external), and the azygos, or anterior. The 

 superior and inferior come off transversely in pairs from either side of the ])opliteal. 



