760 



THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 



in the manner already described. The white rami of the lower thoracic nerves are 

 for the most part directed downwards in the inferior part of the sympathetic trunk 

 and its branches, to be distributed in the abdomen ; at the same time some of 

 their fibres are directly supplied to certain thoracic viscera, lungs, aorta, oesophagus. 

 These white rami are composed of (1) splanchnic afferent fibres passing from 

 its peripheral branches through the sympathetic trunk into the ganglia of the 



Nervus caroticus in tern us 



-Nervus caroticus interims 



Superior cervical ganglion 

 of the sympathetic 



Superior cardiac branch- 

 Middle cervical ganglion - 

 Superior cardiac branch - 

 Middle cardiac branch - 



Inferior cervical ganglion' 



Inferior cardiac branch' 



Recurrent nerve - 



Inferior cardiac branch 



Cardiac branch from right recurrent nerve 



Thoracic cardiac branch of vagus 



Trachea 



Deep cardiac plexus - - 



Nerves to posterior 



pulmonary plexus 



Branches to right anterior 



pulmonary plexus 



Anterior pulmonary plexus 

 Superior vena cava 



Branches to right coronary pie 



Right coronary plexus 



Superior cervical ganglior 

 'of the sympathetic 



" 'Superior cardiac branch 



Vagus 



^Middle cervical ganglion 

 Superior cardiac branch 

 Middle cardiac branch 



Inferior cardiac branch 

 Inferior cervical ganglion 



Inferior cardiac branch 



Recurrent nerve 



-Cardiac branch from left recurrent nerve 

 -Middle cardiac branch 

 Inferior cardiac branch 

 Superior cardiac braiu-h 

 -Cardiac branch from left recurrent nerve 



-Deep cardiac plexus 



_ Superficial cardiac plexus 



-Nerves to posterior pulmonary plexus 



-Branches to left anterior pulmonary plea 



Branches to left vagus 



.Pulmonary artery 



Branches to right coronary plexus 



Anterior pulmonary plexus 



Aorta 



Branches to right coronary plexus 



Branches to left coronary plexus 



" * ..Left coronary plexus 



FIG. 639. THE CARDIAC PLEXUSES. 



spinal nerves medulla ted nerve-fibres unconnected with sympathetic ganglion 

 cells; and (2) somatic and splanchnic efferent fibres, small medullated nerves 

 which, after a longer or shorter course in the gangliated trunk or its peripheral 

 branches, become connected with the sympathetic ganglion cells, or with the 

 cells of peripheral (collateral or terminal) ganglia, from which again (non-medullated) 

 axons proceed to supply branches to viscera and vessels. The ultimate destination 

 of the upper stream of white rami from the thoracic nerves has been mentioned 

 in the description of the cervical sympathetic. 



