45 2 Anatomy Applied to Medicine and Surgery. 



thirds of the outer wall, and its recess, or middle meatus, 

 has, on its lateral wall, the lower opening of the infundi- 

 bulum, which connects this meatus with the frontal si- 

 nuses, while behind this opening is the orifice of the an- 

 trum of Highmore. The inferior turbinated bone extends 

 nearly the whole length of the outer wall, and its meatus 

 receives the lower orifice of the nasal duct, which opens 

 about one inch behind the anterior nares and about three- 

 quarters of an inch above the floor of the nose. Func- 

 tion. The olfactory region of the nasal fossse is limited 

 to the superior and the middle turbinated bones, and to 

 the upper two-thirds of the nasal septum, since it is these 

 portions that contain the branches of the olfactory nerve. 

 The mucous membrane in this situation is thin, whereas, 

 that covering the lower or respiratory portion of the nasal 

 cavities is thick and vascular and is supplied with sensa- 

 tion by branches of the fifth nerves. The veins of the 

 nasal fossae empty into the cavernous sinus, the pterygoid 

 plexus, the longitudinal sinus and the intracranial veins. 

 The lymphatics are connected with the deep cervical, the 

 parotid and the posterior pharyngeal lymphatic glands. 

 Diseases. Inflammation of the mucous membrane 

 of the nose may spread to the adjoining fossae through the 

 communicating channels, above mentioned. These fossse 

 are: The frontal sinuses, the ethmoidal and sphenoidal 

 cells and the antrum of Highmore. The frontal sinuses 

 may be occasionally absent, but, when present, they are 

 variable in size, and open into the middle meatus through 

 the mfundibulum. When the frontal sinuses are inflamed, 

 pain may be felt over the region of the glabella and fore- 

 head, since the distention of the sinuses may irritate the 

 pericranial branches of the supra-orbital or supratroch- 

 lear nerves from the ophthalmic. Or the pain may be 

 due to compression of the mucous membrane, which is 



