POSTERIOR AURICULAR— TEMPORAL 491 



wards to the stapedius muscle; (d) tympanic, wliich anastomoses Avith the tympanic 

 branch of the internal maxillary, formiui:- witli it in the ffftus a vascular circle 

 around the membrana tympani; (c) vestibular, to the vestibule and semicircular 

 canals; and (/) terminal, a small twig which enters the hiatus Fallopii with the 

 great superficial })etrusal nerve, and anastomoses with the petrosal l»ranch of the 

 large middle meningeal artery. 



(4) The anterior terminal or auricular branch passes upwards liehind the ear 

 and beneath the rctrahens aurem, sujtplying the l)ack of the pinna and neighbour- 

 ing integuments. It anastomoses with the posterior branch of the superficial tem- 

 poral artery. The branches to the pinna not only supply the back of that structure. 

 l»ut some perforate the cartilage, and others turn over its free margin to supply the 

 front surface; there they anastomose with the anterior auricular branches from the 

 temporal. 



(5) The posterior terminal, or mastoid or occipital branch, passes upwards 

 and backwards, crossing the aponeurotic insertion of the sterno-mastoid muscle. It 

 gives a branch to the posterior belly of the occipito-frontalis, and anastomoses Avith 

 the occipital artery. 



7. THE TEMPORAL ARTERY 



The temporal artery, or superficial temporal artery — the smaller of the two 

 terminal divisions of the external carotid, thougli apparently the direct continuation 

 of that vessel — arises opposite the neck of the lower jaw and, under cover of the 

 parotid gland, passes upwards in the interval between the condyle and the external 

 auditory meatus to the zygoma, lying on the capsule of the joint. Thence it ascends 

 over the posterior root of that process and the temporal aponeurosis for about an 

 inch and a half to two inches (4 cm.), and there divides into an anterior and a pos- 

 terior branch. It is surrounded by a dense plexus of sympathetic nerves, and is 

 accompanied by the auriculo-temporal nerve, which lies beneath and generally a 

 little Ijehind it. It is crossed by the temporo-facial division of the facial nerve, 

 and by the attrahens aurem muscle. As it crosses the zygoma it can be readily felt 

 pulsating immediately in front of the ear, and in this situation can be compressed 

 against the bone. It is here quite superficial, being merely covered by the integu- 

 ments and a delicate prolongation from the cervical fascia. 



Branches of the Temporal Artery 



The branches of the temporal artery are: — (1) The parotid; (2) the 

 articular; (3) the masseteric; (4) the auricular, or anterior auricular; (5) the 

 transverse facial; (6) the middle temporal; (7) the orbital; (8) the anterior 

 terminal; (9) the posterior terminal. 



(1) The parotid branches are small twigs given off in the substance of the 

 parotid gland to that structure. 



(2) The articular branches supply the temporo-maxillarv joint. 



(3) The masseteric are one or two small branches to the masseter muscle. 



(4) The auricular or anterior auricular branches su})ply the tragus, the 

 pinna, and the lolmle of the ear, and to some extent the external auditory meatus. 



(5) The transverse facial is the largest branch of the temporal. It sometimes 

 arises from the external carotid as a common trunk with the temjioral. It is at 

 first deeply seated in the substance of the jiarotid gland. l)ut, soon emerging from 

 under that part of the gland known as the socia parotidis, courses transversely 

 across the masseter muscle about a finger's breadtli below the zygoma. Steno's 

 duct runs below it, and the infraorbital branches of the facial nerve above it. It 

 supplies the parotid gland, the masseter muscle, and the skin of the face, and 

 anastomoses with the infraorbital, the buccal, and the facial arteries. 



(6) The middle temporal branch, or middle deep temporal artery (fig. 336), 

 arises just aV»ove the zygoma, and, perforating the temporal aponeurosis and 

 temporal muscle, ascends on the squamous portion of the temporal bone, and 

 anastomoses with the posterior deep temporal artery. 



(7) The orbital or zygomatico-orbital branch (fig. 336), as it is sometimes 



