50 ANATOMY OF THE HEAD AND NECK. 



with the temporal artery to ramify externally upon the 

 side of the head. 



The inferior dental nerve is the largest of the three 

 branches into which the posterior trunk of the inferior 

 maxillary divides ; it lies at first beneath the external 

 pterygoid muscle; afterward upon the internal pterygoid; 

 it then enters the inferior maxillary bone at the inferior 

 dental foramen, to emerge at the mental foramen (p. 22), 

 and supply the lower lip and chin ; this nerve is accompa- 

 nied by the inferior dental branch of the internal maxillary 

 artery. Before entering the canal in the bone, the inferior 

 dental nerve gives off the mylo-hyoid branch, which, accom- 

 panied by the mylo-hyoid artery, a twig from the inferior 

 dental, is continued along the inner aspect of the jaw to 

 the mylo-hyoid muscle. 



The gustatory nerve descends between the two pterygoid 

 muscles to the side of the tongue, to the mucous membrane 

 of which it is distributed; its final distribution will be 

 described with the dissection of the tongue. The small 

 chorda tympani branch of the facial nerve, arising within 

 the temporal bone, and emerging from an aperture near 

 the fissura Glaseri, joins the gustatory nerve, and, passing 

 down in close apposition with it, establishes a connection 

 with the submaxillary ganglion. 



The internal maxillary artery, one of the terminal 

 branches of the external carotid, passes inward behind the 

 neck of the lower jaw, over the external pterygoid muscle, 

 to the spheno-maxillary fossa ; it is very tortuous, and 

 sends off a large number of small branches; these are the 



Masseteric, Inferior dental, Infra-orbital, 



Buccal, Tympanic, Ptery go-palatine, 



Temporal (deep), Meningea media, Spheno-palatine, 



External pterygoid, Meningea parva, Posterior palatine, 



Internal pterygoid, Superior dental, Vidian. 



The five muscular branches, the first named of the above list, and 

 the inferior dental, have been seen in connection with corresponding 

 branches of the anterior trunk of the inferior maxillary and the infe- 

 rior dental nerves. These branches are all capable of demonstration. 



The meningea media branch ascends beneath the external pterygoid 

 muscle, and enters the skull through the foramen spinosum of the sphe- 

 noid bone, to be distributed to the middle fossa of the cranial cavity. 



The meningea parva branch passes through the foramen ovale, the 

 same at which the inferior maxillary nerve emerges, and is also dis- 

 tributed to the middle fossa of the skull. 



The superior dental branch, deeper seated than those already de- 

 scribed, descends in a tortuous manner upon the tuberosity of the 



