i25o 



A MANUAL OF ANATOMY 



The naso-palatine nerve, or nerve ol Cotunnius, arises from Meckel's gang- 

 lion, and enters the nasal fossa through the spheno-palatine foramen. It 

 then crosses the roof, and so reaches the septum, upon which it descends, with 

 a forward inclination, occupying the groove on the outer surface of the vomer. 

 Thereafter it passes downwards to the anterior part of the hard palate, the 

 left nerve traversing the anterior foramen of Scarpa, and the right nerve the 

 posterior foramen of Scarpa. As the naso-palatine nerve lies upon the septum 

 nasi it furnishes branches to its mucous membrane. 



Arteries ol the Nasal Fossa. — These arteries are derived from the following 

 sources : 



1. The spheno-palatine. 



2. The descending palatine. 



3. The Vidian. 



Anterior Ethmoidal 

 I 



4. The anterior ethmoidal. 



5. The posterior ethmoidal. 



6. The superior coronary. 



Posterior Ethmoidal 



Naso-palatine (cut) 



Spheno-palatine 



m^'^P-Posterior Nasal 



Ascending Branch of 

 Descending Palatine 



Soft Palate 



Fig. 518. — The Arteries of the External Wall of the Right Nasal 

 Fossa (after Hirschfeld and Leveille). 



The spheno-palatine artery is the principal artery of the nasal fossa. Arising 

 from the third part of the internal maxillary, it enters the fossa through 

 the spheno-palatine foramen. Most of its branches are distributed to the 

 outer wall ; but one, called the naso-palatine branch, accompanies the naso- 

 palatine nerve. This branch gives offsets to the septum, and terminates by 

 entering the incisor foramen, where it anastomoses with a branch of the 

 descending palatine artery, which ascends from the palate in the incisor 

 canal (Stensen's canal). 



The descending palatine artery arises from the third part of the internal 

 maxillary. As it traverses the posterior palatine canal it gives off two or 

 three branches which accompany the inferior nasal nerves through foramina 

 in the vertical plate of the palate bone, to be distributed to the back part of 

 the inferior concha and the adjacent parts of the middle and inferior meatus. 



The Vidian artery, arising from the third part of the internal maxillary, 

 traverses the pterygoid or Vidian canal, and furnishes a few twigs which 

 accompany the nasal offsets of the Vidian nerve, and supply the back part 

 of the roof of the nasal fossa and the adjacent part of the septum. 



The anterior and posterior ethmoidal arteries are branches of the ophthalmic. 

 The anterior ethmoidal enters the nasal fossa along with the nasal nerve, and 

 furnishes branches to the anterior ^nd upper part of the septum, the front 



