136 



HUMAN ANATOMY. 



2. Those connecting the Occipital Bone and the Atlas, including the 



Anterior Occipito-Atlantal ; Posterior Occipito- Atlanta! ; 



Accessory Occipito-Atlantal ; Two Capsular. 



3. Those connecting the Occipital Bone and the Axis, including the 



Lateral Odontoid or Check ; Middle Odontoid ; 



Occipito-Axial. 



The important peculiarities are the odontoid and the transverse ligaments. 



The odontoid, or check ligaments^ ( Fig. 168), are two strong, symmetrical 



bundles of fibres extending from the slanting surface on each side of the top of the 



odontoid process outward and a little upward to a roughness on the inner side of 



each occipital condyle. Some fibres pass directly across from one condyle to the 



Fig. 166. 



Ligamentum nuchae 



Trapezius muscle 



Ligamentum nuchae 



Posterior occipito-atlantal 

 ligament 



Posterior atlanto-axial 

 ligament 



Ligaments of back of neck. 



Other. These are occasionally collected into a distinct round, glistening bundle. 

 The space above the odontoid process, between it and the basilar process, is oc- 

 cupied by a mass of dense fibrous tissue reaching to the anterior occipito-atloid 

 ligament, in the midst of which is a more or less distinct median band connecting 

 these parts, the middle odontoid ligament.^ A supra-odontoid bursa may be 

 developed in this tissue.' 



The transverse ligament' (Figs. 167, 168 J of the atlas is a strong band 

 passing between the tubercles on the inner side of each lateral mass of the atlas. It 

 does not run straight, but curves backward around the odontoid, from which it is 

 separated by a bursa. A band from the middle of the transverse ligament passes 

 upward to the cerebral, side of the basilar process, and another downward to the 

 body of the axis, so that the whole structure is called the cruciform ligament.* 



^Trolard : Journ. de I'Anat. et de la Physiol., 1897. 



' LiBE. alaria. - Lig. apicis dentis. ■* Lig. tranf/crsura atlantis. '' Lig cruciatum atlantis. 



