INNERVATION OF THE LUMBRICAL MUSCLES

It has long been recognized that the first and second lumbricals are n ormally innervated by the median nerve, whereas the third and fourth l umbricals are innervated by the ulnar nerve (Sunderland and Ray, 1946) . However, the courses of the motor nerves, particularly to the first two lumbricals and their loci of insertion, have not been clearly desc ribed. Because this information may be useful to a surgeon operating i n the palm, we undertook a cadaver study to define more precisely the pathways of innervation of the lumbrical muscles.