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NOSE. 



1. PyramidaHs, (Casserius ; procerus, San- 

 \.m\m; J'ronto-nasul, Chaussier.) This (c,Jig. 

 403) cannot be strictly called a separate muscle 

 of the nose, and it is described with thej'roui- 

 alis by Haller, Theile, and many others. It 

 consists of those fibres of the median portion 

 of the frontalis muscle which descend in a 

 fasciculus over the upper part of the nose. 

 They terminate in the cellular tissue covering 

 the superior cartilage, and, through its medium, 

 they are attached to the cartilage itself, and to 

 the adjacent border of the nasal bone ; many of 

 them also are continued onwards and mingled 

 with the upper fibres of the triangularis nasi 

 (e), with whose aponeurosis, moreover, theirs 

 is always continuous. At their inner margin 

 these fasciculi are in contact above, but they 

 diverge below as they pass over the surface of 

 the na-^al bones, and they thus assume that 

 appearance of two distinct slender triangular 

 slips of muscle which led Santorini to give 

 them a distinct name, though they have not 

 that distinct origin which he assigns to them. 



The pyramidales do not appear to have the 

 power of acting alone. When the rest of the 

 frontalis contracts, and, by drawing down the 

 scalp, wrinkles the skin of the forehead, they 

 also act, raising and tightening the skin over 

 the upper part of the bridge of the nose. They 

 produce the same effect when the brows are 

 drawn up, as in surprise. 



2. Levator labii superiorls altec/ue nasi, (Al- 

 binus, Weber, &c.; pyramidalis, Santorini; 

 oblique, ou lateral, Winslow; elevateur com- 

 mun, Bichat, Bourgery, &c.) This, (d, d, Jig. 

 403,) which is the largest and strongest of the 

 muscles of the nose, arises, internally, by a 

 narrow slip of fibres from the upper and outer 

 part of the ascending process of the superior 

 maxillary bone, and, externally, by a broader 

 origin from below the inner part of the lower 

 border of the orbit. Its origins are covered by 

 the orbicularis palpebrarum, and from them its 

 fibres proceed downwards and diverge. About 

 two-thirds of them pass to the outer pait of 

 the upper lip, mingling with the fibres of the 

 orbicularis oris (i) and levator labii proprius, 

 and inserted for the most part in the skin ; the 

 remainder go downwards and a little forwards 

 over the posterior third of the ala of the nose. 

 Of these last, some are attached more or less 

 intimately to the posterior parts of the inferior 

 cartilage and the membrane in which it is im- 

 bedded ; many more terminate in the skin over 

 the lower part of the ala, and are there mingled 

 with fibres which run in various directions, but 

 usually form a complete layer of muscular fas- 

 ciculi beneath the skin of the outer border of 

 the nostril. 



In contracting, the nasal portion of this 

 muscle draws up the ala of the nose, espe- 

 cially its posterior and lower half; and as the 

 cartilage and other dense tissues of this part 

 do not admit of wrinkling, the muscle, in its 

 full action, turns the nostril outwards, and 

 expands its aperture at the same time that it 

 wrinkles the skin above it. 



3. Triangularis, (Cloquet, Bourgery, &c. ; 

 trtmnvfrnus, Santorini, Winslow, Theile; com- 



pressor nasi, Albinus, Haller ; e, e,fig. 403) is 

 a thin pale muscle whose origin is covered by the 

 preceding. It arises by a narrow aponeurosis 

 from the upper and outer part of the canine 

 fossa, behind and external to the base of the ala 

 of the nose. Its fibres thence diverge, the lower 

 ones passing almost horizontally, the upper 

 ones forwards and inwards, and they form a 

 thin triangular muscle which covers the upper 

 part of the ala of the nose and reaches to the 

 dorsum. Sometimes many of its fibres pass 

 over the dorsura of the nose and mingle with 

 those of the muscle of the opposite side; but 

 more often there intervenes between the two 

 muscles a pliant fibre-cellular expansion, into 

 the borders of which many of their fibres are 

 inserted, and which thus forms a kind of me- 

 dian aponeurosis extending over the front of the 

 nose and enabling both the muscles to act 

 at once and equally upon it and the ala. In 

 general, also, the upper or outer fibres of this 

 muscle are continuous with those of the pyra- 

 midalis or are fixed in its aponeurosis; and the 

 lower fibres are mingled with fibres of the de- 

 pressor alse nasi, and pass into the irregular 

 assemblage of fibres beneath the skin of the 

 lower border of the ala. Many of the fibres 

 are connected through their whole course more 

 or less intimately with the other tissues of the 

 ala and the skin ; and probably it was from 

 this last circumstance that Santorini was in- 

 duced to describe this muscle as having the 

 whole of its origin among the fibres of the 

 levator labii superioris alseque nasi, or rather 

 as a muscle peculiar for having its middle por- 

 tion fixed (on the dorsum of the nose) and its 

 two extremities moveable in the substance of 

 each side of the upper lip. 



These muscles have been described by some 

 as compressors, by others as dilators of the 

 nose, and in different circumstances they pro- 

 bably do act very differently. When the outer 

 or maxillary insertion of each is fixed, they 

 assist in compressing the nostrils, and in com- 

 bination with the true depressors (presently to 

 be described) their lower fibres draw the alae 

 backwards. When, on the other hand, they 

 take their fixed point in the median aponeurosis 

 on the dorsum of the nose, and contract towards 

 it. those of their fibres which are connected 

 with the skin will wrinkle it, as in the act of 

 sneering, and those which are attached to the 

 deeper tissues of the ala will draw it upwards 

 and in some decree expand the nostril. When 

 they compress the nostrils they commonly also 

 draw backwards the apex of the nose in the 

 manner usually seen in the act of smelling 

 carefully. 



4. Depressor alee nasi, (Haller, Albinus, 

 Theile; Mi/rfifa/'itux, *r pimue dilatator, San- 

 torini; Petit dilntiiteiir de Caile du mz, Bour- 

 gery; incisifmitoi/en,Wms\ow,dilatatornarium, 

 Arnold ;./;,//>. 403) arises by short aponeurotic 

 fibres from the alveolar margin above the se- 

 cond incisor and canine teeth of the upper jaw, 

 below and on the inner side of the origin of 

 the triangularis. Its fibres proceed upwards, 

 forwards, and inwards, some going to the pos- 

 terior part of the skin under the sides of the 



