Licence: In copyright
Credit: Handbook of surgical anatomy / by G.A. Wright and C.H. Preston. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
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![to be made just below (on the distal side of) tbe knuckle. Joints of The ligaments of the metacarpo-phalangeal, and the fingers ijj^gj._p]^g^jajjgQg^2 joints are palmar and lateral, the dorsal ligament is deficient or imperfectly- developed and the extensor tendon takes its place. The extensor tendon is also very close to the surface, and the skin of the dorsum is thin, so that a very slight wound may readily not only divide the extensor tendon but also penetrate the joint. Tendon The dense fibrous sheaths of the flexor tendons sheaths j^jj^g palmar surface of the first and second phalanges are so tough and unyielding that when inflammatory exudation is poured out within them not only is the patient's suffering great and the constitutional disturbance often severe, but the contained tendon is prone to slough from strangulation. Thecal The rigid, continuous tube, which runs along the abscess p};^alanges, is replaced opposite the joints by a thinner and more flexible material strengthened by crucial fibres, hence there is less resistance at these points, and the inflammatory material finding its way there may escape either into the subcutaneous tissue or into the joint. Incisions to relieve tension and allow exit of matter must be made over the phalanges and not over the joints to relieve strangulation more fully and to avoid opening the articulations which would be at once contaminated if this were done. Digital The main arteries and nerves of the fingers vessels and , , , <. ^ nerves course along the lateral aspects oi the palmar](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21906774_0014.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
