240 



INFERIOR EXTREMITY 



the fossa it is placed upon their medial side. Its branches may 

 be classified into cutaneous, muscular, and articular. 



The n. cutaneus surce medialis is its cutaneous branch 

 which arises about the middle of the fossa, and proceeds 

 distally in the furrow between the two heads of the 

 gastrocnemius. It will afterwards be seen to unite with the 

 peroneal anastomotic nerve, a little distal to the middle of the 

 calf of the leg, to form the sural nerve. 



The muscular branches supply both heads of the gastro- 

 cnemius, the plantaris, the soleus, and the popliteus : they 



Bursa prepatellaris 



V. Vastus 



medialis 



S. Sartorius. 



S.M. Semimem- 



branosus. 

 G.I. Medial head 

 of gastro- 

 cnemius. 



G.E. Lateral head 

 of gastro- 

 cnemius. 

 B. Biceps 

 femoris 



Tendon of 

 semitendinosus 



Synovial 

 cavity of 

 knee-joint 



Popliteal artery 



Popliteal vein 



N. tibialis(O.T. 

 int. popliteal) 



communis (O.T. 

 ext. popliteal) 



FIG. 88. Transverse section through the Fossa Poplitea of the Right 

 Lower Extremity. 



come off in the distal part of the fossa. The branch to the 

 popliteus requires special notice. It arises more distally than 

 the others, and crosses the superficial surface of the popliteal 

 artery to reach the lateral side of that vessel. It then runs 

 distally on the posterior surface of the popliteus muscle, and 

 gains the anterior surface by winding round the distal border. 

 This will be better seen when the muscle itself is dissected. 



The articular branches are three in number. They are 

 given off by the tibial nerve in the proximal part of the fossa, 

 and they accompany the middle artery of the knee and the 

 two medial genicular arteries. That which accompanies the 

 inferior medial artery is larger than the other two, and can 



