THE STJBLIXGUAL GLAND. 



817 



diately below the base and the inner surface of the inferior maxilla, and 

 above the digastric muscle. In this position it is covered by the skin and 

 the platysma myoides, and its inner surface rests on the mylo-hyoid, hyo- 

 glossus, and stylo-glossus muscles ; above, it corresponds with a depression 

 on the inner surface of the jaw-bone ; and it is separated behind from the 

 parotid gland merely by the stylo-maxillary membrane. The facial artery, 

 before it mounts over the jaw-bone, lies in a deep groove upon the back 

 part and upper border of the gland. 



The duct of the submaxillary gland, named TVTiarton's duct, which is 

 about two inches in length, passes off from the gland, together with a thin 

 process of the glandular substance, round the posterior border of the mylo- 

 hyoid muscle, and then runs forwards and inwards above that muscle, 

 between it and the hyo-glossus and genio hyo-glossus, and beneath the 

 sublingual gland, to reach the side of the frsenum linguae. Here it ter- 

 minates, close to the duct of the opposite side, by a narrow orifice, which 

 opens at the summit of a soft papilla seen beneath the tongue. The 

 structure of this gland is like that of the parotid ; but its lobes are larger, 

 its surrounding areolar web is finer, and its attachments are not so firm. 

 Moreover, its duct has much thinner coats than the parotid duct. 



The blood-vessels of the submaxillary gland are branches of the facial and lingual 

 arteries and veins. The nerves include those derived from the small submaxillary 

 ganglion, as well as branches from the mylo-hyoid division of the inferior dental 

 nerve, and the sympathetic. 



The Sublingual Gland. 



The sublingual gland, the smallest of the salivary glands, is of a narrow 

 oblong shape and weighs scarcely one drachm. It is situated along the 



Fig. 573. VIEW OP THE EIGHT SUB- Fig. 573. 



MAXILLARY AND SlJBLINGUAL GLANDS 

 FROM THE INSIDE. 



A part of the right side of the jaw, 

 divided from the left at the syinphysis, 

 remains ; the tongue and its muscles 

 have been removed ; but the mucous 

 membrane of the right side is retained 

 and is drawn upwards so as to expose 

 the sublingual glands ; s m, the larger 

 superficial part of the submaxillary 

 gland ; f t the facial artery passing 

 through it ; s m', deep portion pro- 

 longed within the mylo-hyoid muscle 

 m h ; s I, is placed below the anterior 

 large part of the sublingual glands, with 

 the duct of Bartholin partly shown ; 

 s I', placed above the hinder small end of the chain of glands, indicates the ducts of one 

 or two perforating the mucous membrane ; d, the papilla, at which the duct of Wharton 

 opens in front behind the incisor teeth; d' t the commencement of the duct ; h, the hyoid 

 bone ; n, the gustatory nerve. 



floor of the mouth, where it forms a ridge between the tongue and the 

 gums of the lower jaw, covered only by the mucous membrane. It reaches 

 from the frsenum linguae, in front, where it is in contact with the gland of 

 the opposite side, obliquely backwards and outwards for rather more than 

 an inch and a half. On its inner side it rests on the genio-hyo-glossus ; 

 beneath, it is supported by the mylo-hyoid muscle, which is interposed 



3 H 



