ABDOMINAL PLEXUSES. 701 



Fig. 455. DIAGRAMMATIC VIEW OF THE SYMPATHETIC CORD OF THE RIGHT SIDE, WITH 

 ITS PRINCIPAL GANGLIA, PLEXUSES, AND NERVES. 



This figure is repeated in illustration of the sympathetic uerves in the lower half of the 

 body. 



c, superior cervical ganglion ; c', second or middle ; c", inferior : from each of these 

 ganglia cardiac nerves (deep on this side) are seen descending to the cardiac plexus ; dl, 

 placed immediately below the first dorsal sympathetic ganglion ; d 6, is opposite the 

 sixth ; 1 1, first lumbar ganglion ; eg, the terminal or coccygeal ganglion ; pp, pharyugeal, 

 aud, lower down, laryngeal plexus ; pi, posterior pulmonary plexus spreading from the 

 pneumo-gastric on the back of the right bronchus ; ca, on the aorta, the cardiac plexus, 

 towards which, in addition to the cardiac nerves from the three cervical sympathetic 

 ganglia, other branches are seen descending from the pneumogastricand recurrent nerves ; 

 co, right or posterior, and co', left or anterior coronary plexus ; o, ossophageal plexus in 

 long meshes on the gullet ; sp, great splanchnic nerve formed by branches from the fifth, 

 sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth dorsal ganglia ; +, small splanchnic from the ninth 

 and tenth ; + +, smallest or third splanchnic from the eleventh : the fir^t and second of 

 these are shown joining the solar plexus, so; the third descending to the renal plexus, re; 

 connecting branches between the solar plexus and the pneumo-gastric nerves are also re- 

 presented ; pn', above the place where the right pneumo-gastric passes to the lower or 

 posterior surface of the stomach ; pn", the left distributed on the anterior or upper surface 

 of the cardiac portion of the organ : from the solar plexus large branches are seen sur- 

 rounding the arteries of the cccliac axis, and descending to ins, the superior mesenteric 

 plexus ; opposite to this is an indication of the suprarenal plexus ; below re (the renal 

 plexus), the spermatic plexus is also indicated ; ao, on the front of the aorta, marks the 

 aortic plexus, formed by nerves descending from the solar and superior mesenteric plexuses 

 and from the lumbar ganglia ; mi, the inferior mesenteric plexus surrounding the cor- 

 responding art* ry ; hy, hypogastric plexus placed between the common iliac vessels, 

 connected above with the aortic plexus, receiving nerves from the lower lumbar ganglia, 

 and dividing below into the right and left pelvic or inferior hypogastric plexuses ; pi, the 

 right pelvic plexus ; from this the nerves descending are joined by those from the plexus 

 on the superior heinorrhoidal vessel, mi', by sympathetic nerves from the sacral ganglia, 

 and by numerous visceral nerves from the third and fourth sacral spinal nerves, and there 

 are thus formed the rectal, vesical, and other plexuses, which ramify upon the viscera from 

 behind forwards and from below upwards, as towards ir, and v, the i\ctum and bladder. 



RENAL PLEXUS. The nerves forming the renal plexus, fifteen or twenty in number, 

 emanate for the most part from the outer part of the semilunar ganglion ; but 

 some are added from the solar plexus and the aortic plexus. Moreover, filaments from 

 the smallest splanchnic nerve, and occasionally from the other splanchnic nerves, 

 terminate in the renal plexus. In their course along the renal artery, ganglia of dif- 

 ferent sizes are formed on these nerves. Lastly, dividing with the branching of the 

 vessel, the nerves follow the renal arteries into the substance of the kidney. On the 

 right side some filaments are furnished to the vena cava, behind which the plexus 

 passes with the renal artery ; and others go to form the spermatic plexus. 



SPERMATIC PLEXUS. This small plexus commences in the renal, but receives in its 

 course along the spermatic artery an accession from the aortic plexus. Continuing 

 downwards to the testis, the spermatic nerves are connected with others which 

 accompany the vas defcrens and its artery from the pelvis. 



In the female, the plexus, like the artery, is distributed to the ovary and the 

 uterus. 



CCELIAC PLEXUS. This plexus is of large size, and is derived from the fore part 

 of the great epigastric plexus. It surrounds the coeliac axis in a kind of membra- 

 nous sheath, and subdivides, with the artery, into coronary, hepatic, and splenic 

 plexuses, the branches of which form communications corresponding with the arches 

 of arterial anastomosis. The plexus receives offsets from one or more of the 

 splanchnic nerves, and on the left side a branch from the pneumo-gastric nerve is 

 continued into it. (Swan.) 



The coronary plexus is placed with its artery along the small curvature of the 

 stomach, and unites with the nerves which accompany the pyloric artery, as well as 

 with branches of the pneumo-gastric nerves. The nerves of this plexus enter the 

 coats of the stomach, after running a short distance beneath the peritoneum. 



The hepatic plexus, the largest of the three divisions of the coeliac plexus, ascends 

 with the hepatic vessels and the bile-duct, and ; entering the substance of the liver, 



