FRONT OF THE ARM 69 



basilic vein, and a short distance in front of the medial 

 cutaneous nerve of the arm. It at once divides into a 

 volar and an ulnar branch. The volar branch runs down- 

 wards behind (but sometimes in front of) the median basilic 

 vein, and it is distributed to the skin over the medial and 

 volar aspect of the forearm. The ulnar branch, inclining 

 medially, proceeds distally in front of the medial epicon- 

 dyle of the humerus, to reach the skin on the medial and 

 dorsal aspect of the forearm. 



A small twig is frequently given by the medial cutaneous 

 nerve of the forearm to the skin over the biceps muscle. 

 This pierces the deep fascia close to the axilla. 



Venae Superficiales (Superficial Veins). The superficial 

 veins of the anterior aspect of the arm and the volar aspect 

 of the forearm may now be cleaned ; but in all proba- 

 bility they are already for the most part exposed. 



At least three veins are usually seen ascending along the 

 volar aspect of the forearm, the basilic vein along the medial 

 border, the cephalic vein along the lateral border, and, midway 

 between the two former, the median vein of the forearm. 

 When the median vein reaches the depression in front of the 

 elbow it is joined by a short wide vein which pierces the deep 

 fascia of the forearm and establishes an anastomosis between 

 the deep and the superficial veins of the forearm. This 

 connecting trunk is called the profunda vein. After receiving 

 this tributary the median vein of the forearm divides into 

 two branches which diverge from each other like the limbs 

 of the letter V. The lateral of the two branches is the median 

 cephalic vein, the medial branch is the median basilic vein. 



The median cephalic vein passes obliquely, proximally and 

 laterally, across the front of the lateral cutaneous nerve of the 

 forearm, and joins the cephalic vein. 



After it has received the median cephalic vein, the cephalic 

 vein ascends along the lateral bicipital sulcus, continues proxi- 

 mally in the groove between the deltoid and the pectoralis 

 major, crosses the deltopectoral triangle, dips beneath the 

 clavicular part of the pectoralis major crossing in front of 

 the pectoralis minor, pierces the costo-coracoid membrane 

 and terminates in the axillary vein. 



The median basilic vein is a short wide vessel which passes 

 proximally and medially towards the medial epicondyle. It is 

 larger than the median cephalic vein and has a less oblique 



