A. ORAL CAVITY, BY E. KLEIN. 511 



ciliated cylindrical cells * The laminated pavement epithelium 

 of the surface may in some cases be followed for a short distance 

 as a lining to the excretory ducts of the glands. 



The course and arrangement of the muscles in the soft palate 

 are highly complicated. The only true longitudinal muscle 

 contained in it is the azygos uvulae, or palato-staphylinus. a 

 double muscle, the two portions of which arise at the fibrous 

 border of the hard palate, and are situated on either side of the 

 median line. In the anterior part of the soft palate the two 

 portions are distant from each other about their own diameter,")" 

 but near the base of the uvula they are in close proximity. 

 They do not quite extend to the apex, but terminate at about 

 the end of the second third, the fasciculi becoming fan- shaped 

 anteriorly, and expanding to the greatest extent at the sides, 

 consequently corresponding in their course, and terminating in 

 the same mode as has been described in speaking of the muscles 

 of the lips. In their passage through the soft palate, several 

 small fasciculi are given off from the principal mass, which, 

 traversing the lobules of the glands, and surrounding them, re- 

 join it, or dip into the mucous membrane, especially at its an- 

 terior surface, and terminate in the mode described. 



The Musculus thyreo-pharyngo-palatinusj constitutes the 

 chief muscular mass of the soft palate. It is divisible, according 

 to Luschka, into a thyreo-palatine and a pharyngo-palatine 

 portion. The upper extremity of the former lies partly in front 

 of and partly behind the Levatores, decussating with them to 

 some extent. The greater number of the fibres of the pars 

 thyreo-palatina lie in front of the Levatores, and form a curved 

 flattened muscle, with a maximum breadth of nine millimeters 

 which is situated nearer to the hard palate than the arch 

 formed by the junction of the two Levatores by about the 

 breadth of this arch. The convex border of this portion is 

 continuous with the fibrous border of the hard palate or 

 aponeurosis of the tensor veli palati, whilst its concave border 



* E. Klein, loc. cit. 

 f Szontagh, loc. cit. 



J Luschka, Der Musculus pharyngo-palatinus des Menschen, Virchow's 

 Archiv, Band xlii., p. 480. 



