From the facts above-mentioned, concerning the peculiarities of the three arteries which supply the leg and foot, it will be seen that all the deviations from the ordinary arrangement, in regard to their size, display a general principle of compensation, by which deficiencies in one vessel are balanced by an increase in the size of another.
It will also be observed, that, whilst the anterior and posterior tibial arteries have a greater tendency to diminish than to increase in size, the peroneal artery, on the contrary, is the vessel which is the most frequently enlarged. The anterior and posterior tibials, however, occasionally assist each other, especially in the supply of arteries to the toes.