Abstract: The human lymphatic system is a part of the circulatory system, which is found later than the arterial and venous systems. Lymphatic vessels are first observed in the mesentery of mammals. Later, with the introduction of mercury direct injection technique, lymphatic vessels in the human limbs are discovered. Subsequently, the application of indirect injection and clinical observation enrich the basic theory of the lymphatic system in the field of anatomy. The knowledge has been widely cited in consecutive scientific research and clinical practice. However, it sometimes is unable to explain some unexpected clinical findings. Although the knowledge of the superficial lymphatic distribution of the lower limb has been updated over the past decade, the deep lymphatic distribution of the foot has not been confirmed until recently. In this paper, details of the lymphatic anatomy in the foot were reviewed.

Key words: Lymphatic distribution, 　Foot, 　Anatomy