THE OTIC GANGLION. 



249 



behind it is the middle meningeal artery. Its cells also belong to the multipolar 

 variety. 



ROOTS. The ganglion receives,. through its connection with the nerve to the 



Fig. 164. THE OTIC GANGLION AND ITS 



CONNECTIONS KKOM THE INNER SIDE. 



(From Sappey, after Arnold.) g 



The temporal bone is divided so as to 

 show the inner surface of the membrana 

 tympani and the canal of the facial 

 nerve ; the foramen ovale is opened on 

 the inner side : 1, small root of the fifth 

 nerve, passing down on the inner side 

 of the Gasserian ganglion to unite with 

 the inferior maxillary division ; 2, inferior 

 dental nerve ; 3, mylo-hyoid branch, 

 seen also farther down emerging in front 

 of the internal pterygoid. muscle ; 4, 

 lingual ; 5, chorda tympani ; 6, facial 

 nerve in its canal ; 7, auriculo-temporal 

 nerve, enclosing in its loop of origin the 

 middle meningeal artery ; 8, otic gang- 

 lion ; 9, small superficial petrosal nerve ; 



10, branch to the tensor tympani muscle ; 



11, twig connecting the ganglion with the 

 auriculo-temporal nerve ; 12, twig to the 

 ganglion from the sympathetic on the 

 meningeal artery ; 13, nerve to the 



internal pterygoid muscle ; 14, branch to the tensor palati muscle. 



internal pterygoid, fibres from the inferior maxillary nerve, and these may be 

 regarded as constituting its motor and sensory roots (short root of Arnold) ; the 



Fig. 165. THE OTIC GANGLION, WITH ITS 



ROOTS AND BRANCHES. (Rauber. ) | 



;'!" 



sympathetic root is a filament (or 

 two) passing forwards from the 

 plexus on the middle meningeal 

 artery. The ganglion is also 

 joined posteriorly by the small 

 superficial petrosal nerve (long 

 root, Arnold), which connects it 

 with, and probably conveys to it 

 fibres from, the facial and glosso- 

 pharyngeal nerves (p. 2GO) ; and 

 a slender sphenoidal filament 

 ascends from it to the Vidian 

 nerve. 



BRANCHES. (a) Two or more 

 pale branches pass backwards to 

 the roots of the auriculo-temporal 

 nerve, and convey secretory fibres 

 from the glosso-pharyngeai nerve 

 to the parotid gland. 



(b) A communicating twig descends to the chorda tympani. 



(c, d and e) Slender filaments pass from the ganglion to the nerves supplying the 

 internal pterygoid, tensor palati and tensor tympani muscles. 



(/) A filament joins the buccal nerve (Rauber). 



