102 A MANUAL OF ANATOMY. 



cervical fascia, yet each is separated from the other by a 

 partition of the same. The artery is internal, the vein ex- 

 ternal, and the nerve between and behind them both. 



Superficially or externally : Skin, platysma, anterior layer 

 of deep cervical fascia. 



It is overlapped by the sternomastoid behind, and by 

 the thyroid gland in front, and below is covered by the 

 sternomastoid, sternohyoid, and sternothyroid muscles. 

 From above downward the artery is crossed by the supe- 

 rior and middle thyroid veins, the communicating vein from 

 the facial to the anterior jugular, the sternomastoid artery 

 (from the superior thyroid), the descendens hypoglossi 

 (which courses downward and forward upon the sheath of 

 the artery and is joined by the communicantes hypoglossi), 

 the omohyoid muscle (dividing the artery into two por- 

 tions, see page 79), and the anterior jugular vein (as it 

 turns backward to empty into the external jugular, see 

 page 74). 



At the inner side : The trachea, oesophagus (and between 

 them), the recurrent laryngeal nerve, the thyroid gland, cri- 

 coid and thyroid cartilages, the lower part of the pharynx, 

 the superior laryngeal nerve, branches of the superior and 

 inferior thyroid arteries, and the veins of the same. 



At the outer side : The internal jugular vein, pneu- 

 mogastric nerve (between and behind both arteiy and 

 vein). 



Centrally : Longus colli, rectus anticus major muscles, 

 pneumogastric (see above), sympathetic and its cardiac 

 branches, inferior thyroid artery, and recurrent laryngeal 

 nerve. 



Above : In the angle of bifurcation lies the carotid gland, 

 a structure composed of fine capillaries invested with con- 

 nective tissue. It is not a lymphatic gland. 



