THE FACIAL NERVE. 



253 



portion of the temporal bone. Inclining downwards beneath the Gasserian ganglion, 

 the nerve enters the foramen lacerum, and is continued across the outer side of the 

 internal carotid artery to the posterior opening of the Vidian canal, where it unites 

 with the large deep petrosal nerve (derived from the sympathetic on the carotid 

 artery) to form the Yidian nerve joining the back of the spheno -palatine ganglion 

 (p. 243). 



In addition to conveying fibres from the facial nerve (or portio intermedia) to the spheno- 

 palatine ganglion, the large superficial petrosal nerve contains others, derived presumably from 

 the fifth nerve, which run distally in the facial trunk. (See R. Penzo, " Ueb. d. Ganglion 

 geniculi u. d. mit demselben zusammenhangenden Nerven," Anatom. Anzeiger, viii, 1893. 738 ? 

 M. v. Lenhossek, ''Das Ganglion geniculi N. facialis u. seine Verbindungen," in ; 'Beitrage zur 

 Histologie des Nervenystems," &c., 1894.) 



portio intermedia 



.'" geniculate ganglion 



oerficial petrosal 

 lall superficial petrosal 

 small deep petrosal 



/'' large deep petrosal 



Vidian 



ttylo-hyoid 



from great 



auricular 



sup. maxillary 



spheno-pala- 

 tine ganglion, 



otic ganglion 

 lingual 



from auriculo- 

 temporal 



tcmporo-facial 



Tervico-faciai 



Fig. 170. PLAIT OF THE FACIAL NERVE, WITH SOME OF ITS COMMUNICATIONS. (Or. D. T.) 



cli.ty., chorda tympani; its middle part is removed; ty., tympanic branch of the glosso-pharyngeal ; 

 $y., sympathetic on the internal carotid artery ; car.ty., carotico-tympanic nerve, passing between the 

 tympanic nerve and the sympathetic in the carotid canal. 



Communication with the small superficial petrosal nerve A minute 

 branch connects the geniculate ganglion with the small superficial petrosal nerve 

 passing from the tympanic plexus to the otic ganglion (p. 2 GO). 



The external superficial petrosal nerve (Bidder) unites the geniculate 

 ganglion with the sympathetic filaments on the middle meningeal artery. This 

 nerve is not always present (Rauber). 



A branch to the stapedius muscle is given off by the facial nerve as ifc 

 descends behind the pyramid. 



Chorda tympani. This branch, which according to many observers is in large 



VOL, III. PT. 2. 



