1894.] AXATOMT OF OEKITHOEHXN^CHUS. 70^ 



tendinosus as a portion of the muscle described above as semi- 

 membranosus. 



Muscles op the Leg. 



Gastrocnemius. — Is a large muscle. It arises by two distinct 

 heads : a larger from the upper expanded portion of the head of 

 the fibula ; a smaller head arises from the lower end of the femur. 

 The two portions blend and the tendon is inserted into the os 

 calcis. It does not fuse \\"ith the soleus. The femoral head is 

 supplied by the internal popliteal. 



Soleus. — Arises from the expanded head of the fibula and from 

 the shaft of the same bone. A few fibres arise also from the 

 tibia. The fibres from the fibular shaft arise on the anterior 

 aspect of the bone, and pass backwards between the tibia and 

 fibula to join the other fibres. The two heads blend and pass 

 deeply in a groove beneath the bone supporting the spur on heel. 

 The tendon is here in company with the tibialis posticus. In this 

 situation the soleus di\'ides into two tendons — one passes to the 

 asti-agalus, the other to the bone supporting the heel. Tibialis 

 posticus passes between the two tendons. Owen states that soleus 

 arises from a large proportion of tibia. This is certainly a mistake ; 

 a few fibres only arise from this bone. 



Flexor longus digitorum. — Is a large strong muscle. It arises 

 from the upper expanded extremity and from the shaft of the 

 fibula. At the ankle it passes between a process of calcaneum and 

 the bone which supports the spur. In the sole it expands and 

 divides into five strong tendons, one for each digit. Coues describes 

 three tendons. 



Flexor hrevis digitorum (perforatus). — This muscle is in two 

 parts. One portion springs from superficial surface of flexor 

 longus and passes to the second and third toes. Another portion 

 arises from the calcaneum and passes to the remaining toes. 

 There is a small flexor accessorius seen on reflecting flexor lougus, 

 having the usual relationship of that muscle to the longus tendon, 

 i. e. passing from calcaneum to deep surface of flexor tendon. The 

 flexor longus is also attached to os calcis by a strong tendinous 

 band. Coues describes the portion arising from flexor longus only 

 as flexor brevis. The part arising fi-om the calcaneum he describes 

 as a dismemberment of flexor fibularis. The two portions have, 

 however, an entirely similar relationship to the longus tendons. I 

 am disposed to regard both the tendinous part and the calcaneal part 

 as dismemberments of the same muscle, i. e. a plantaris, which has 

 contracted separate attachments in its coitrse. The resemblance 

 of the tendinous part to the flexor sublimis (brevis) of the anterior 

 extremity will be at once apparent. 



Tibialis posticus. — Arises from the upper expanded extremity of 

 the fibula. The tendon passes deeply at the ankle together with 

 the soleus, and, after perforating the latter muscle, very much in 

 the same way that the profundus passes through sublimis in human 

 anatomy, is inserted into a sesamoid bone at junction of the 



47* 



