112 



SURGICAL APPLIED ANATOMY. [Chap. vm. 



of dividing these muscles : (1) Ferguson's : A small 

 knife, with the blade at right angles to the stem, is 

 passed through the cleft, and is made to divide the 

 levator palati by an incision on the posterior aspect 

 of the palate, transverse to the direction of the 

 muscle* The tensor is not di- 

 vided in this procedure. (2) 

 Pollock's : A thin narrow knife, 

 with the cutting-edge upwards, is 

 introduced into the soft palate a 

 7 little in front, and to the inner 

 side of the hamular process. The 

 tendon of the tensor muscle is 

 above the knife, and is cut as 

 the knife is pushed upwards and 

 inwards. The knife is inserted 

 until its point presents at the 

 upper part of the cleft. As 

 it is being withdrawn, it is made 



Fig. 14. The Muscles of 

 the Soft Palate, from 

 behind. 



a, Levator 



. . lati ; 6, tensor to cut the posterior surf ace of 



ati; c, hamular pro- - - 



, azygos uvulse; /, the 

 point of entry of the 

 knife in Pollock's opera- 

 tion ; above it is the line 

 of incision made on with- 

 drawing the knife. 



cess ; d, waii of pharynx ; the velum to a sufficient depth 



-; azygos uvulae; /.the j-"--j ,1 i 



oint .of^entry of the to divide the levator palati 

 (Fig. 14). (3) Bryant's: Here 

 the palate muscles are divided 

 by a cut with the scissors that 

 involves the entire thickness of the velum, the cut 

 being at the side of the velum, and nearly parallel 

 with the cleft. 



The blood supply of the soft palate is derived from 

 the descending palatine branch of the internal maxil- 

 lary artery, the ascending pharyngeal artery, and the 

 ascending palatine branch of the facial artery. The 

 latter vessel reaches the velum by following the levator 

 palati muscle, and must be divided in the section 

 made of this muscle in the procedures just described. 

 The pharynx is about five inches in length. It 

 is much wider from side to side than from before 



