JOINTS OF THE NECK 



357 



The synchondrosis occupies by far the greatest part of 

 the interval between the vertebral bodies, and it presents 

 the usual characters of such an articulation. The opposed 

 bony surfaces are coated with a thin layer of hyaline or 

 encrusting cartilage, and are brought into direct union 

 by an interposed disc of fibro-cartilage. The intervertebral 

 fibre-cartilages are distinctly deeper anteriorly than posteriorly, 

 and upon this circumstance the cervical curvature of the 

 column in great measure depends. 



The two diarthrodial joints are placed one on each side 

 where the disc of fibro-cartilage is absent. They are of small 

 extent, and are confined entirely to the intervals between the 

 projecting lateral lips of the upper surface of the body 



Synovial part of 

 joint between bodies 

 of vertebrae 



Joint betweer 

 irticular processes 



Capsule around 

 'joint between two 

 articular processes 



Intervertebral fibro- 

 cartilage 



FIG. 142. Frontal section through bodies of certain of the 

 Cervical Vertebrae. 



and the bevelled-off lateral margins of the lower surface of 

 the vertebral body immediately above. The bony surfaces 

 are coated with encrusting cartilage, and are separated by 

 a synovial cavity protected by a feeble capsular ligament. 



The ligaments which bind the bodies of the lower five 

 cervical vertebrae together are the direct continuation upwards 

 of the anterior and the posterior longitudinal ligaments of 

 the vertebrae. When the medulla spinalis was removed, 

 the laminae of the vertebrae, below the epistropheus, were 

 taken away so that very little dissection will be required to 

 make out the connections of both of these ligaments. The 

 anterior longitudinal ligament is a strong band placed on the 

 anterior faces of the vertebral bodies. It is more firmly fixed 

 to the intervening intervertebral fibro-cartilages than to the 

 bones. The posterior longitudinal ligament, which lies on 



