12 THE ANATOMY OF THE ADULT HUMAN SALIVARY GLANDS 



II. GLANDS OF THE ALVEOLINGUAL AREA, ARCUS PALATINUS, AND 



SOFT PALATE 



I. Submaxillary Gland. — The adult human submaxillary gland is 

 composed of two segments : — 



a. The main submaxillary gland (/) is placed dorsocaudal to the 

 free border of the mj'lohyoid around which the duct turns to reach the 

 oral floor. The exposure of the medial surface given in Fig. lo shows 

 this portion in the interval between the temperomaxillary (35) and 

 facial veins, which groove its caudal border and ectal surface, and the 

 caudal margin of the mylohyoid (20). The facial artery (jj) lies be- 

 tween the cephalic border of the gland and the internal pterygoid 

 muscle (ij), while its mesal surface and caudal margin are grooved 

 by the posterior belly and intermediate tendon of the digastric muscle. 

 This main portion of the submaxillary gland is usually divided into 

 three or four large lobes by incisures penetrating to the hilus. 



b. The second portion of the submaxillary gland is composed of 

 a group of smaller gland masses, for the most part placed above the 

 mylohyoid, which empty by small separate ducts into the main 

 submaxillary canal. These are the accessory (/") and secondary (/') 

 subma.xillary glands and ducts. They vary greatly in number, posi- 

 tion, and in the arrangement of their ducts. This topographical 

 relation of the two portions of the gland to the mylohyoid muscle 

 (20) is well shown in the preparation hardened in situ exhibited in 

 Fig. 19. 



The general relation of the submaxillary gland as a whole to the 

 mandible and mylohyoid muscle (20) is given in the lateral and median 

 views of the preparation shown in Figs. 13 and 14. The structures 

 here were hardened in situ before exposure, and hence the general 

 contour and modeling of the gland is well preserved. 



The lateral view (Fig. 13) shows the deep groove on the ectal surface 

 of the main glandular body which lodges the facial vein and its 

 confluence with the temperomaxillary vein. A deficiency in the 

 mylohyoid sheet also allows the cephalic extremity of the supra- 

 mylohyoid accessory portion of the gland (/") to be seen in this view. 

 The medial aspect (Fig. 14) shows the forward extension of the acces- 



