342 A MANUAL OF ANATOMY. 



The Pneumogastric Nerves. Figs. 18, 71, 72. 



Are found in the neck between the internal jugular vein 

 and the common carotid artery, and behind both. See 

 page 103. 



The right nerve comes forward between the vein and 

 artery, crosses over the front of the subclavian artery and 

 behind the right innominate vein (gives off the recurrent 

 laryngeal nerve opposite the lower part of the artery), and 

 descends backward and inward to the side of the oesophagus 

 and behind the root of the lung, where it forms the posterior 

 pulmonary plexus. From the plexus it is continued by 

 two branches along the posterior surface of the oesophagus 

 (forming the oesophageal plexus) ; finally these two cords 

 unite, pass through the diaphragm, and are distributed to 

 the posterior wall of the stomach. 



The left pneumo gastric at the base of the neck is be- 

 tween the left common carotid and subclavian arteries, 

 descends behind the left innominate vein, over the front of 

 the transverse aorta (at the lower border of which the left 

 recurrent laryngeal nerve is given off), to the posterior part 

 of the root of the left lung, where it forms a posterior pul- 

 monary plexus. It then continues along the front of the 

 oesophagus by two branches (forming an cesophageal plexus 

 and communicating with the posterior plexus by branches), 

 then these two branches unite and pass through the dia- 

 phragm to the anterior wall of the stomach. 



The Right Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve. See Neck, page 

 104. 



The Left Recurrent Laryngeal. 



Can be traced curving around the transverse aorta, ex- 

 ternal to the ductus arteriosus and above the pulmonary 

 artery, to pass upward and inward behind the left common 



