338 . NERVOUS SYSTEM. 



splits into several large branches, denominated the facial nerves; 

 or, altogether, from their being imagined to sprout from the 

 trunk, after the manner of the claws of the foot of a goose, the 

 pes anserhius. But, prior to its entering this canal, it detaches 

 several branches of importance. 1. A branch which pursues the 

 same course, along the floor of the orbit, to the inner cauthus, 

 where it sends twigs to the under eyelid and lachrymal duct, 

 and disperses its remaining ramifications upon the contiguous 

 skin. 2. Several long filaments, which descend upon the tu- 

 berosity of the superior maxilla, penetrate the bone, and furnish 

 twigs to the antrum and the two superior molar teeth. 3. The 

 largest branch is the spheno-palatine or lateral nasal nerve, to 

 which the foramen spheno-palatinum gives passage into the nose, 

 wherein it divides into two sets of filaments. One of these 

 fasces is spread over the lateral parietes of the nasal cavity ; the 

 other ramifies over the sinuses, and transmits a filament of con- 

 siderable length along the posterior border of the septum, which 

 passes through the foramen incisivum superius to the roof of the 

 mouth. 4. A slender branch to the velum palati. 5. 77ie palato- 

 maxillary nerve, a considerable branch traversing the canal of 

 that name in company with the palatine bloodvessels, and dis- 

 persing the majority of its ramifications over the soft palate ; 

 though some of its longer ones may be followed through the 

 foramen incisivum inferius into the upper lip. 



The terminating or facial branches of this division, which re- 

 main to be described, in general comprehend, at their exit from 

 the foramen intVa-orbitarium, two large and two small nerves. 

 I'he principal branch descends in a straight line upon the side of 

 the face, and, about midway between the foramen and front of 

 the lip, shoots forth into many smaller branches, which are dis- 

 persed over the side and surrounding border of the upper lip. 

 These nerves receive communicating filaments from the anterior 

 facial branch of the portio dura, and, with them, form an intri- 

 cate and important plexus upon the fore and lateral parts of the 

 face. The branch next in size to this takes a similar course, an- 

 teriorly, to the last, and distributes its ramifications to the nares 

 and muscles, clothing them externally. It detaches one long- 

 filament, which turns round the smooth crescentic border of the 

 superior maxillary bone, and goes to the muscles internally situ- 

 ated. One of the small brandies, which takes its course anteri- 

 orly to all the others, runs directly to the levator labii superioris. 

 The smallest branch of the four is one of communication with 

 the portio dura. 



The third division, the inferior maxillari/ ne?ve, the 

 largest of the three, leaves the cranium through the lowermost 



