FACIAL NERVE. 555 



upon one side pass directly to the palato-glossus and the palato-pharyngeus, 

 without any connection with the glosso-pharyngeal nerve. In the anatomical 

 description of the branches of the facial, it has already been noted that a 

 filament, described by Hirschfeld, passes to the stylo-glossus and the palato- . 

 glossus muscles. This is the filament affected when there is deviation of the 

 point of .the tongue. 



In view of the examples of paralysis of the palate and uvula in certain 

 cases of facial palsy, the frequent occurrence of contractions of the muscles 

 of these parts upon stimulation of the facial and the reflex action through 

 the glosso-pharyngeal and the facial, there can be little doubt that the mus- 

 cles of the palate and uvula are animated by filaments derived from the sev- 

 enth nerve. The effects of paralysis of these muscles are manifested by more 

 or less trouble in deglutition and in the pronunciation or certain words, with 

 great difficulty in the expulsion of mucus collected in the back part of the 

 mouth and the pharynx. 



Uses of the External Branches of the Facial. The general action of the 

 branches of the facial going to the superficial muscles of the face is suffi- 

 ciently evident, in view of what is known of the distribution of these branches 

 and the general properties of the nerve. Throughout the writings of Charles 

 Bell, the facial is spoken of as the " respiratory nerve of the face." It is 

 now recognized as the nerve which presides over the movements of the su- 

 perficial muscles of the face, not including those directly concerned in the act 

 of mastication. This being its general action, it is easy to assign to each of 

 the external branches of the facial its particular office. 



Just after the facial nerve has passed out at the stylo-mastoid foramen, it 

 sends to the glosso-pharyngeal the communicating branch, the action of which 

 has just been mentioned in connection with the movements of the palate. 



The posterior auricular branch, becoming partly sensory by the addition 

 of filaments from the cervical plexus, gives sensibility to the integument on 

 the back part of the ear and over the occipital portion of the occipito-fron- 

 talis muscle. It animates the retrahens and the attollens aurem, muscles that 

 are little developed in man but are very important in certain of the inferior 

 animals. It also animates the posterior portion of the occipito-frontalis 

 muscle. 



The branches distributed to the posterior belly of the digastric and to 

 the stylo-hyoid muscle simply animate these muscles, one of the uses of 

 which is to assist in deglutition. The same may be said of the filaments 

 that go to the stylo-glossus. 



The two great branches distributed upon the face, after the trunk of the 

 nerve has passed through the parotid gland, have the most prominent action. 

 Both of these branches are slightly sensory, from their connections with 

 other nerves, and are distributed in small part to integument. 



The temporo-facial branch animates all of the muscles of the upper part 

 of the face. In complete paralysis of this branch, the eye is constantly open, 

 even during sleep, on account of paralysis of the orbicularis muscle. In 

 cases of long standing, the globe of the eye may become inflamed from con- 



