REGIONAL ANATOMY 29 



Unlike the internal nerve, it is accompanied by a single 

 vessel only, the external metacarpal vein, behind which it 

 lies. At the level of the sesamoid bones it divides, as does 

 the internal nerve, into three main branches — the digital 

 nerves. 



Fig. 15.— The Veins and Nerves of the Foot. 



], The digital vein ; 2, its main tributaries, draining the podophyllous plexus, 

 and concurring to form the digital ; 3, the digital arter}^ (the main trunk 

 only of this is sho^^^l, in order to show its relationship witli the vein and 

 nerve) ; 4, the plantar nerve, -with its three branches — (a) the anterior 

 digital, {b) the middle digital, (c) the posterior digital ; 5, the podophyl- 

 lous plexus ; 6, superficial portion of the coronary plexus ; 7, the 

 peripheral or circumilex vein of tlie toe. 



The Digital Nerves. — These are distinguished as 

 Anterior, Middle, and Posterior. 



The Anterior Branch descends in front of the vein, dis- 

 tributing cutaneous branches to the front of the digit, and 

 terminating in the coronary cushion. 



