450 PNEUMOGASTRIC NERVE. 



The Branches of the pneumogastric nerve are the following: 



Communicating branches with the Facial, 



Glosso-pharyngeal, 

 Spinal accessory, 

 Hypo-glossal, 

 Sympathetic. 



Auricular, 



Pharyngeal, 



Superior laryngeal, 



Cardiac, 



Inferior or recurrent laryngeal, 



Pulmonary anterior, 



Pulmonary posterior, 



CEsophageal, 



Gastric. 



The Branches of communication form part of the complicated plexus 

 at the base of the skull. The branches to the ganglion of Andersch 

 are given off by the superior ganglion in the jugular fossa. 



The Auricular nerve is given off from the lower part of the jugu- 

 lar ganglion, or from the trunk of the nerve immediately below, and 

 receives immediately after its origin a small branch of communication 

 from the glosso-pharyngeal. It then passes outwards behind the jugu- 

 lar vein, and on the outer side of that vessel enters a small canal 

 (page 34) in the petrous portion of the temporal bone near the stylo- 

 mastoid foramen. Guided by this canal it reaches the descending part 

 of the aqueductus Fallopii and joins the facial nerve. In the aque- 

 ductus Fallopii the auricular nerve gives off two small filaments, one 

 of which communicates with the posterior auricular branch of the facial, 

 while the other is distributed to the pinna. 



The Pharyngeal nerve arises from the pneumogastric, immediately 

 above the gangliform plexus, and descends behind the internal carotid 

 artery to the upper border of the middle constrictor, upon which 

 it forms the pharyngeal plexus assisted by branches from the glosso- 

 pharyngeal, superior laryngeal, and sympathetic. The pharyngeal 

 plexus is distributed to the muscles and mucous membrane of the 

 pharynx. 



The Superior laryngeal nerve arises from the gangliform plexus 

 of the pneumogastric, of which it appears to be almost a continua- 

 tion ; hence this plexus was named by Sir Astley Cooper the " gan- 

 glion of tfie superior laryngeal branch."" The nerve descends behind 

 the internal carotid artery to the opening in the thyro-hyoidean 

 membrane, through which it passes with the superior laryngeal artery, 

 and is distributed to the mucous membrane of the larynx and aryte- 

 noideus muscle. On the latter, and behind the cricoid cartilage, it 

 communicates with the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Behind the internal 

 carotid it gives off the external laryngeal branch, which sends a twig 



