1923- No. 16. THK N"EL"ROLO:;iCA'.. ASPECT OF LEPROSY 



61 



The ulnar nerve is — besides being the most frequently affected — 

 the one that is most accessible to palpation. The observer should sit in 

 front of the patient, and palpate with the hand which is diagonally opposite 

 the arm whose ulnar nerve is to be examined. With the tips of the 2nd 

 and 3rd fingers the nerve is pressed towards the epicondylus of the humerus. 

 As the nerve finally slips lateralwards under the finger a fair impression 

 of its thickness is obtained. The inexperienced must be warned that 

 not every ulnar nerve easily felt is pathologically thickened. It requires 



, Great auricular 

 "' v^ ner\-e 



External jugular vein ■^ 



I-'ig- 35- 



great experience in palpating the normal nerve to decide whether it is 

 pathologically thickened or not. For purposes of comparison one cannot 

 be too careful in alwax's palpating in accurately the same way and in the 

 same position. 



The great auricular nerve may be easily felt where it passes across 

 the sternomastoid muscle. One finds the nerve crossing this muscle at a 

 distance of one to three centimeters behind the external jugular vein, and 

 running roughly parallel to this vein. (Cpr. diagram fig. 35I. 



Where the external jugular vein is not visible, it can as a rule be 

 mad J visible by slight pressure with the hand at the side of the neck. 

 This will make the vein bulge and betrav itself 



