286 FACIAL ARTERY. 



over the buccinator muscle, to accommodate itself to the movements of 

 the jaws. 



Relations. Below the jaw it passes beneath the digastricus and styio- 

 hyoid muscles ; on the body of the lower jaw it is covered by the platysma 

 myoides, and at the angle of the mouth by the depressor anguli oris and 

 zygomatic muscles. It rests upon the submaxillary gland, the lower jaw, 

 buccinator, orbicularis oris, levator anguli oris, levator labii superioris 

 proprius, and levator labii superioris alseque nasi. 



Its branches are divided into those which are given off below the jaw 

 and those on the face : they may be thus arranged : 



Below the Jaw. Inferior palatine, 

 Submaxillary, 

 Submental, 

 Pterygoid. 



On the Face. Masseteric, 



Inferior labial, 

 Inferior coronary, 

 Superior coronary, 

 Lateralis nasi. 



The Inferior palatine, branch ascends between the stylo-glossus and 

 stylo-pharyngeus muscles, to be distributed to the tonsil and soft palate, 

 and anastomoses with the posterior palatine branch of the internal maxil- 

 lary artery. 



The Submaxillary are four or five branches which supply the submaxil- 

 lary gland. 



The Submental branch runs forwards upon the mylo-hyoid muscle, under 

 cover of the body of the lower jaw, and anastomoses with branches of the 

 sublingual and inferior dental artery. 



The Pterygoid branch is distributed to the internal pterygoid muscle. 



The Masseteric branches are distributed to the masseter and buccinator 

 muscles. 



The Inferior labial branch is distributed to the muscles and integument 

 of the lower lip. 



The Inferior coronary runs along the edge of the lower lip, between the 

 mucous membrane and the orbicularis oris ; it inosculates with the cor- 

 responding artery of the opposite side. 



The Superior coronary follows the same course along the upper lip, in- 

 osculating with the opposite superior coronary artery, and at the middle 

 of the lip it sends a branch upwards, to supply the septum of the nose and 

 the mucous membrane. 



The Lateralis nasi is distributed to the ala and septum of the nose. 



The Inosculations of the facial artery are very numerous : thus, it anas- 

 tomoses with the sublingual branch of the lingual, with the ascending 

 pharyngeal and posterior palatine arteries, with the inferior dental as it es- 

 capes from the mental foramen, infra-orbital at the infra-orbital foramen, 

 transverse facial on the side of the face, and at the angle of the eye with 

 the nasal and frontal branches of the ophthalmic artery. 



The facial artery is subject to considerable variety in its extent : it not 

 unfrequently terminates at the angle of the nose or mouth, and is rarely 

 *vmmetrical on both sides of the face. 



