198 INFERIOR EXTREMITY 



which is placed deep to the sartorius muscle as it lies over the adductor 

 canal (Hunter's). The twig from the obturator nerve appears at the medial 

 border of the adductor longus. 



The nervus saphenus (O.T. internal saphenous nerve] is the 

 longest branch of the femoral nerve. It springs from the 

 posterior division of that nerve and runs distally on the lateral 

 side of the femoral artery. Entering the adductor canal, with 

 the femoral vessels, it comes to lie anterior to the artery. At 

 the distal end of the canal it emerges, by passing under cover 

 of the thickened border of the fibrous expansion which stretches 

 between the vastus medialis and the adductor muscles, and, 

 accompanied by the saphenous branch of the arteria genu 

 suprema, it escapes from under cover of the sartorius and 

 pierces the deep fascia at the medial side of the knee. It 

 gives off the infrapatellar branch after it quits the adductor 

 canal. This branch pierces the sartorius and appears on the 

 surface of the fascia lata on the medial side of the knee. 



Several large branches of the posterior part of the 

 femoral nerve enter the four factors which compose the great 

 quadriceps extensor muscle of the thigh. From certain of 

 these, articular filaments are given to the hip and knee- 

 joints. 



The branch to the rectus femoris sinks into the deep surface 

 of that muscle. It supplies an articular twig to the hip-joint. 

 The large branch to the vastus medialis accompanies the 

 saphenous nerve and enters the proximal part of the adductor 

 canal.' It can readily be distinguished from its sinking 

 into the medial aspect of the vastus medialis about the 

 middle of the thigh. In the substance of the muscle it 

 extends distally, and near the knee joins the articular branch 

 of the arteria genu suprema. It gives an articular nerve 

 to the synovial lining of the knee-joint. The nerve to the 

 vastus lateralis is associated with the descending branch of the 

 lateral circumflex artery. Very frequently it gives an articular 

 twig to the knee-joint. The nerves to the vastus intermedius 

 are two or three in number and they sink into its anterior 

 surface. The most medial of them is a long slender nerve, 

 which can be traced distally under the anterior border of the 

 vastus medialis to the articular muscle of the knee. Its 

 terminal twigs are given to the synovial stratum of the 

 knee-joint. 



One filament then from the femoral nerve goes to the 



