THE LINGUAL NERVE. 495 



face of the tongue, especially near the point. In its course it 

 has a communication with the ninth pair of nerves, and sends 

 twigs to the membrane of the mouth and gums, and the con- 

 tiguous parts. 



After parting with the lingual nerve, the inferior maxillary 

 continues to the upper and posterior orifice of the canal in the* 

 lower jaw. Before it enters this canal it sends a branch to the 

 submaxillary gland, and to the muscles under the jaw.* It 

 then enters the canal, attended by blood-vessels, and proceeds 

 along it to the anterior maxillary foramen, on the side of the 

 chin, through which it passes out. In this course it sends 

 twigs to the sockets of the teeth, and generally supplies all the 

 large and one of the small grinders. Before it leaves the jaw 

 it sends a branch forward in the canal of the bone, which sup- 

 plies the remaining teeth on the side to which it belongs. After 

 passing out, through the anterior foramen, it is spent upon the 

 muscles and integuments of the front of the cheek, .the chin and 

 the under lip. 



A branch of some importance called the Anterior auricular, 

 comes off from the inferior maxillary nerves between the 

 pterygoid muscles. It passes backwards and in close contact 

 with the articulation of the jaw, and there forms a plexus. 

 From this plexus two branches are sent off. One called 

 ascending or temporal, ascends to the front of the ear, and is 

 distributed on the scalp in company with the branches of the 

 temporal artery. It supplies the pinna and meatus of the ear, 

 and communicates with the facial nerve and various branches 



the fifth pair, giving off a branch to the submaxillary ganglion (18) and com- 

 municating a little farther on with the hypoglossal nerve. 19. The duct of the 

 submaxillary gland, or duct of "Wharton, passing forwards to the sublingual 

 gland. 20. The glosso-pharyngeal nerve. 21. The hypoglossal nerve curving 

 round the occipital artery. 22. The descendens noni nerve, forming a loop 

 with (23), the communicans noni. which is seen to arise by filaments from the 

 upper cervical nerves. 24. The pneumogastric nerve, emerging from between 

 the internal jugular vein and the common carotid artery, and entering the chest. 

 25. The facial nerve, emerging from the stylo-mastoid foramen, and crossing 

 the external carotid artery. 



*" The branch which passes from the lingual nerve to the submaxillary gang- 

 lion, see fig. 208, is now generally considered to be a continuation of the chorda 

 tympani, which passing down in the sheath of the lingual nerve to the capsule 

 of the submaxillary gland, terminates in the submaxillary ganglion. p. 



