488 NERVOUS SYSTEM. 



sympathetic goes on uninterruptedly from one ganglion to ano- 

 ther, sometimes by one branch; on other occasions, by two or 

 three. 



Each lumbar ganglion sends outwards one or more external 

 branches, which applying themselves to the body of the conti- 

 guous vertebra, reach the corresponding intervertebral foramen 

 of the loins, and join with the anterior branch of the corre- 

 sponding lumbar nerve. Some of these external branches are 

 spent upon the quadratus lumfeorum muscle. 



Each lumbar ganglion, or the intermediate chord of the sym- 

 pathetic, also detaches branches internally, which are very 

 small, and more or less interwoven with each other. These 

 branches get to the abdominal aorta, and, joining the inferior 

 mesenteric plexus upon it, are distributed along with the latter. 



Of the Sacral Ganglions of the Sympathetic. 



There are generally three of these ganglions which may be 

 readily found : sometimes four or five. They are situated in 

 a line, on the anterior face of the sacrum, near the correspond- 

 ing foramina for the transmission of the sacral nerves; and are 

 united with each other by intermediate fibres, from one to three 

 in number, which are the continuation of the sympathetic nerve. 

 Bichat asserts, that frequently the first of these ganglions is 

 not united to the last of the lumbar by an intermediate nerve, 

 so that there the continuity of the sympathetic is interrupted. 



Each ganglion sends ofF, externally, one or more filaments, 

 by which it is united to the corresponding sacral nerve: it also 

 detaches filaments in this direction to the pyriformis and the 

 levator ani muscles. 



Each ganglion likewise detaches, from its internal margin, 

 ramifications, which go obliquely downwards on the front of 

 the sacrum, and anastomose with corresponding filaments from 

 the opposite side. 



From these ganglions many branches pass forwards to the 

 hypogastric plexus; which is formed by them, by the inferior 

 mesenteric plexus, and by a great many filaments from the 

 lower sacral nerves, principally the third. The plexus is dis- 

 tributed upon the rectum, the bladder, vesiculae serninalcs, and 



