EXTERNAL CAROTID ARTERY. 427 



anterior straight muscles, accompanied in the first part of its. 

 course by the occipital artery, the carotid being more posterior. 

 At the origin of the prevertebral and mastoid branches, it is in- 

 flected forwards, crossing the occipital behind the comu of the os 

 hyoides; it passes to the foramen lacerum basis cranii, at first 

 lying in a fold of the guttural pouch, along with the superior 

 cervical ganglion and a branch of the sympathetic which enters 

 the cranium ; it is crossed by the nerves which form the guttural 

 plexus. Passing through the foramen lacerum, it enters the 

 cranial tavity to assist in supplying the brain. For description 

 of the cranial portion of this artery, see the description of the 

 brain itself. 



EXTERNAL CAROTID ARTERY. 

 (Fig. 163. 3.) 



The external carotid artery is the continuation of the carotid 

 itself, being deeply buried between the guttural pouch and 

 parotid gland. It passes forwards and upwards, until it reaches 

 the comu of the os hyoides, passing between it and the hyoideus 

 magnus, and curves upwards towards the neck of the condyle of 

 the lower jaw, where it divides into superficial temporal and 

 internal maxillary arteries, the latter being its continuation. 

 In the first part of its course it has the guttural pouch, glosso- 

 pharyngeal, and superior laryngeal nerves on its inner, and the 

 superior belly of the digastricus and the hypo-glossal nerve on 

 its outer aspect. From it spring the four following branches : — 



Glosso-facial. I Posterior auricular. 



Maxillo-muscular. j Superficial temporal. 



The Glosso-facial or Submaxillary artery arises before the 

 carotid passes between the hyoid cornu and the hyoideus magnus. 

 It passes the anterior extremity of the submaxillary gland, runs 

 along the upper border of the digastricus, crosses the outside of 

 Wharton's canrl, reaches the ramus of the lower jaw within the 

 mazillary space, and winds round it subcutaneously, reaching the 

 cheek, where it ascends in front of the masse ter muscle, and at the 

 maxillary spine terminates in ascending and descending branches ; 

 the latter, or lateral nasal, passes forwards; the former divides 

 into dorsal nasal, which goes inwards, and angulcir artery of the 

 eye, which passes backwards to supply the orbicularis palpebrarum, 

 inosculating with branches from the superior dental artery. In 



