614 THE VEINS 



oris muscle of the upper lip, and passes with the superior coronary artery outwards, 

 and joins the facial vein a little l)elow the level of the ala of the nose. 



(c) The inferior labial veins. — A small branch (inferior coronary) usually 

 opens into the facial a little helow the superior labial vein; but the chief ])ranch 

 from the lower lip descends as a rule over the chin to the submental vein, and thus 

 only opens indirectly into the facial vein. It may open into the anterior jugular 

 vein. 



(fZ) The submental vein lies on the mylo-hyoid muscle superficial to the sub- 

 mental artery. It begins below the chin, and, running backwards in the digastric 

 triangle, joins the facial vein just after the latter has passed over the body of the 

 lower jaw. It receives branches from the inferior labial plexus and the neighbour- 

 ing muscles, and communicates with the anterior jugular vein. 



(e) The submaxillary or glandular veins open into the facial as it crosses the 

 submaxillary gland. But some branches from the gland often open into the 

 submental vein. 



Tributaries on the Outer Side. — (a) The inferior palpebral veins. — Several 

 branches pass downwards to the facial vein; others, as before stated, pass inwards 

 to the angular vein (page 613). Through one or more of these branches a 

 communication is formed with the infraorbital vein. 



(6) The anterior internal maxillary vein, sometimes known as the deep 

 facial, passes downwards and forwards from the pterygoid plexus of veins between 

 the buccinator and masseter muscles, and opens into the outer side of the facial vein 

 under cover of the zygomaticus major muscle. 



(c) The buccal vein is a small branch from the buccinator muscle. 



(d) The anterior parotid branch descends from the giandula socia parotidis 

 forwards to the facial. 



(e) The masseteric is a small branch from the masseter muscle. 



(/) The inferior or descending palatine vein accompanies the ascending 

 palatine or tonsillar artery from the venous plexus about the tonsil and soft palate, 

 and joins the facial vein just below the body of the lower jaw. 



The communicating branch between the external jugular and facial veins — 

 sometimes known as the anterior division of the temporo-maxillary vein — runs 

 obliquely downwards and inwards from the external jugular vein from near the 

 spot where the latter is continuous with the temporo-maxillary trunk. It joins the 

 facial vein deeply just behind the angle of the jaw. 



The chief variations in the facial vein are : — (1) It may ran over the sterno-inastoid and 

 open into the external jugular vein ; (2) it may open into the anterior jugular vein ; (3) it may 

 run beneath the posterior belly of the digastricus and stylo-hyoid muscles ; (4) it may receive the 

 lingual vein, the pharyngeal vein, or both of these veins. 



The Posterior Superficial Vein of the Scalp 



The posterior vein descends over the occipital bone, and then deeply amongst 

 the muscles at the back of the neck. It ends in the innominate vein. The first or 

 superficial portion of this trunk is known as the occipital vein ; the second or 

 deeper portion as the deep cervical vein (fig. 385). 



The occipital vein l)egins at the back of the skull in a venous plexus which 

 anastomoses with the posterior auricular and posterior branch of the .'^u])erficial 

 temporal veins. It passes dowmwards over the occipital bone, and, perforating tiie 

 trapezius with the occipital artery, sinks deeply into the suboccipital triangle, 

 where it terminates in the deep cervical vein. At times it takes a more su})erficial 

 course, and, joining the posterior auricular, passes with this into the external 

 jugular vein. One of its branches — usually the outermost — receives an emissary 

 vein issuing through the mastoid foramen of the temporal bone, and in tliis way 

 forms a comnmnication with the lateral sinus. 



The deep cervical vein begins as a plexus of small veins in the suboccipital 

 triangle. After receiving, as a rule, the occipital vein, it passes downAvards betAveen 

 the complexus and the semispinalis colli, in company, first Avith the princeps cervicis 

 branch of the occipital artery, and afterAvards Avith the deep cervical branch of the 



