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. 
Se 
AEC GOM GLEE NG 
‘4 
Fic. 15.—THE VEINS AND NERVES OF THE Foot. 
1, The digital vein ; 2, its main tributaries, draining the podophyllous plexus, 
and concurring to form the digital; 3, the digital artery (the main trunk 
only of this is shown, in order to show its relationship with the vein and 
nerve); 4, the plantar nerve, with its three branches—-(a) the anterior 
digital, (5) the middle digital, (c) the posterior digital ; 5, the podophyl- 
lous plexus; 6, superficial portion of the coronary plexus; 7, the 
peripheral or circumflex vein of the toe. 
Tue Drcrran 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. 
