318 PRACTICAL ANATOMY. 



intimate anastomoses with the solar plexus. On the left 

 side it enters the chest to the left of the common carotid, 

 lies on the arch of the aorta, passes behind the root of 

 the lung and down the anterior part of the oesophagus, 

 to be distributed to the stomach, duodenum, and liver. 

 The branches of the pneumogastric are divided into 

 three sets, cervical, thoracic, and abdominal. The cer- 

 vical branches are : 1. The auricular, which enters a fora- 

 men in the jugular notch on the posterior inferior border of 

 the petrous part of the temporal bone, and is distributed 

 to the structures of the tympanum. It escapes by the 

 auricular fissure, and is distributed to the integument of 

 the ear. 2. A pharyngeal branch, which forms a plexus 

 on the pharyngeal muscles. It is the motor nerve to the 

 constrictors. 3. The superior laryngeal is the sensory 

 nerve to the larynx, being distributed to the mucous 

 membrane. 4. The recurrent laryngeal, on the right, 

 winds around the innominate artery from before back- 

 ward, and is distributed to the muscles of the larynx, 

 which it animates. On the left side it lies in front of 

 the arch of the aorta, and winds around its inferior 

 border below the ductus arteriosus. It ascends to the 

 larynx, and is Histributed to the muscles of the corre- 

 sponding side. 5. The cardiac branches, four or five in 

 number, are distributed to the ganglia of the heart, 

 lungs, and O2sophagus. In the abdomen the pneumo- 

 gastric is distributed to the stomach, omenta, liver, and 

 communicates freely with the sympathetic ganglia. 



11. SPINAL ACCESSORY. Consists of two portions, 

 the upper, arising from the groove between the olivary 

 and restiform bodies ; lower, arising from the antero-lateral 

 fissure of the cord by numerous filaments, and as low 

 down as the third cervical vertebra. It enters the fora- 

 men magnum, arches over to the posterior lacerated 



