532 NERVOUS SYSTEM 



Two or three small filaments of communication pass from the sub- 

 lingual to the ganglion of the trunk of the pneumogastric. 



At the ganglion of the trunk, the pneumogastric usually receives 

 filaments of communication from the arcade formed by the anterior 

 branches of the first two cervical nerves. These, however, are not 

 constant. 



The pneumogastric is connected with the sympathetic system by a 

 number of filaments of communication from the superior cervical gan- 

 glion, passing in part upward toward the ganglion of the root of the 

 pneumogastric, and in part transversely and downward. These fila- 

 ments frequently are short, and they bind the sympathetic ganglion 

 to the trunk of the nerve. The main trunk of the pneumogastric 

 and its branches receive a few filaments of communication from the 

 middle and inferior cervical and the upper dorsal ganglia of the sym- 

 pathetic. 



The pneumogastric frequently sends a slender filament to the 

 glosso-pharyngeal nerve, at or near the ganglion of Andersch. 

 Branches from the pneumogastric join branches from the glosso- 

 pharyngeal, the spinal accessory and the sympathetic, to form the 

 pharyngeal plexus. 



Distribution. Although the pneumogastric nerves on the two sides 

 do not present any important differences in the destination of their 

 filaments as far down as the diaphragm, the distribution of the 

 abdominal branches is not the same. The most important branches 

 are the following : 



1. Auricular. 5. Cardiac (cervical and thoracic). 



2. Pharyngeal. 6. Pulmonary (anterior and posterior) . 



3. Superior laryngeal. 7. CEsophageal. 



4. Inferior, or recurrent laryngeal. 8. Abdominal. 



The auricular nerves are sometimes described in connection with the 

 facial. They are given off from the ganglion of the trunk of the pneu- 

 mogastric and are composed of filaments of communication from the 

 facial and from the glosso-pharyngeal as well as of filaments from the 

 pneumogastric itself. The nerves thus constituted are distributed to 

 the integument of the upper portion of the external auditory meatus 

 and a small filament is sent to the membrana tympani. 



The pharyngeal nerves are given off from the superior portion of 

 the ganglion of the trunk, and they contain a large number of the fila- 

 ments of communication which the pneumogastric receives from the 

 spinal accessory. In their course by the sides of the superior constrictor 

 muscles of the pharynx, these nerves anastomose with filaments from 



