944 NEUROLOGY 



The dorsal antibrachial cutaneous nerve (w. cutaneus antibrachii dorsalis; extert 

 cutaneous branch of musculospiral) perforates the lateral head of the Triceps brachii at 

 its attachment to the humerus. The upper and smaller branch of the nerve passes 

 to the front of the elbow, lying close to the cephalic vein, and supplies the skin 

 of the lower half of the arm (Fig. 811). The lower branch pierces the deep fascia 

 below the insertion of the Deltoideus, and descends along the lateral side of the 

 arm and elbow, and then along the back of the forearm to the wrist, supplying 

 the skin in its course, and joining, near its termination, with the dorsal branch 

 of the lateral antibrachial cutaneous nerve (Fig. 813). 



The Superficial Branch of the Radial Nerve (ramus superfidalis radial nerve} 

 passes along the front of the radial side of the forearm to the commencement of 

 its lower third. It lies at first slightly lateral to the radial artery, concealed 

 beneath the Brachioradialis. In the middle third of the forearm, it lies behind the 

 same muscle, close to the lateral side of the artery. It quits the artery about 7 cm. 

 above the wrist, passes beneath the tendon of the Brachioradialis, and, piercing 

 the deep fascia, divides into two branches (Fig. 813). 



The lateral branch, the smaller, supplies the skin of the radial side and ball 

 of the thumb, joining with the volar branch of the lateral antibrachial cutaneous 

 nerve. 



The medial branch communicates, above the wrist, with the dorsal branch of the 

 lateral antibrachial cutaneous, and, on the back of the hand, with the dorsal 

 branch of the ulnar nerve. It then divides into four digital nerves, which are 

 distributed as follows: the first supplies the ulnar side of the thumb; the second, 

 the radial side of the index finger; the third, the adjoining sides of the index and 

 middle fingers; the fourth communicates with a filament from the dorsal branch 

 of the ulnar nerve, and supplies the adjacent sides of the middle and ring 

 fingers. 1 



The Deep Branch of the Radial Nerve (n. interosseus dorsalis; dorsal or posterior 

 interosseous nerve) winds to the back of the forearm around the lateral side of the 

 radius between the two planes of fibers of the Supinator, and is prolonged down- 

 ward between the superficial and deep layers of muscles, to the middle of the 

 forearm. Considerably diminished in size, it descends, as the dorsal interosseous 

 nerve, on the interosseous membrane, in front of the Extensor pollicis longus, to the. 

 back of the carpus, where it presents a gangliform enlargement from which filaments 

 are distributed to the ligaments and articulations of the carpus. It supplies all 

 the muscles on the radial side and dorsal surface of the forearm, excepting the 

 Anconseus, Brachioradialis, and Extenosr carpi radialis longus. 



The Thoracic Nerves (Nn. Thoracales). 



The anterior divisions of the thoracic nerves (rami anteriores; ventral divisions) 

 are twelve in number on either side. Eleven of them are situated between the ribs, 

 and are therefore termed intercostal; the twelfth lies below the last rib. Each nerve 

 is connected with the adjoining ganglion of the sympathetic trunk by a gray and a 

 white ramus communicans. The intercostal nerves are distributed chiefly to the 

 parietes of the thorax and abdomen, and differ from the anterior divisions of the 

 other spinal nerves, in that each pursues an independent course, i. e., there is no 

 plexus formation. The first two nerves supply fibers to the upper limb in addition 

 to their thoracic branches; the next four are limited in their distribution to the 

 parietes of the thorax; the lower five supply the parietes of the thorax and abdomen. 

 The twelfth thoracic is distributed to the abdominal wall and the skin of the buttock. 



1 According to Hutchison, the digital nerve to the thumb reaches only as high as the root of the nail; the one to the 

 forefinger as high as the middle of the second phalanx; and the one to the middle and ring fingers not higher than the 

 first phalangeal joint. London Hosp. Gaz., iii, 319. 



