LEPUS CUNICULUS 333 



nerves which pass through the anterior palatine foramen and so 

 reach the nasal region. The ganglion also gives off palatine nerves, 

 of which the anterior palatine goes through the posterior palatine 

 foramen to supply the mucous membrane of the hard palate, while 

 the posterior palatine branches supply the soft palate. 



The mandibular or inferior maxillary nerve leaves the cranium, 

 as noted, through the foramen lacerum medium, and almost at once 

 gives off twigs supplying the pterygoid, masseter and temporal 

 muscles of the head and the adjacent tissue?. After a short course 

 it divides into two branches, the lingual and the mandibular. The 

 lingual nerve passes downwards, and below the level of the tympanic 

 cavity receives an anastomosing branch from the, seventh nerve. 

 It then passes forwards and inwards to supply the tissues of the 

 tongue. The mandibular nerve passes a little more posteriorly and, 

 further, ventrally to the inner surface of the ramus of the mandible 

 into the substance of which it penetrates through the inferior dental 

 foramen, thus reaching the teeth. Its terminal branches issue on 

 the outside of the anterior end of the ramus through the mental 

 foramen as the nervus mentalis to supply the tissue of this region. 



The abducens is quite small, and leaves the cranium through the 

 foramen lacerum anterius in company with the first two branches 

 of the trigeminal, and passes postero-laterally a short distance across 

 the orbit to supply the external rectus muscle. 



The f acialis is another large mixed nerve whose roots unite to form 

 the geniculate ganglion, and the greater portion of it leaves the 

 cranial cavity by the internal auditory meatus, and the skull by 

 the stylo-mast oid foramen. From the ganglion three main branches 

 come off. The first is the chorda tympani, the branch which, as we 

 have seen, anastomoses with the lingual branch of the trigeminal. 

 It passes posteriorly to the tympanic cavity. The second is the 

 ramus palatinus, termed also in mammals the nervus petrosus 

 superficialis major, which passes forwards above the tympanic 

 cavity to the palatine region and sends a branch to anastomose with 

 the maxillary branch of the trigeminal at the sphenopalatine gang- 

 lion. The main hyomandibular branch of the nerve passes behind 

 the tympanic cavity and is distributed generally to the tissues of the 

 dorsal and ventral sides of the hinder end of the head, the external 

 mandibular region and to the hyoid region. 



The auditory nerve also leaves the cranial cavity by the meatus 

 auditorius internus, and at the end of this canal divides into a 

 cochlear branch distributed mainly to the cochlea, and a vestibular 

 branch serving the majority of the remaining part of the membranous 

 labyrinth. 



The glosso-pharyngeal nerve leaves the skull through the foramen 



