Chap. VIII.J 



THE PHARYNX. 



iu front, and to the inner side of the hamular process. 

 The tendon of the tensor muscle is above the knife, 

 and is cut as the knife is pushed upwards and inwards. 

 The knife is inserted until its point presents at the 

 upper part of the cleft. As it is being withdrawn, it 



is made to cut the posterior 



surface of the velum to a suffi- 

 cient depth to divide the levator 

 palati (Fig. 14). (3) Bryant's : 

 Here the palate muscles are 

 divided by a cut with the 

 scissors that involves the entire 

 thickness of the velum, the cut 

 being at the side of the velum, 

 and nearly parallel with the 

 cleft. 



The blood supply of the soft 

 palate is derived from the des- 

 cending palatine branch of the 

 internal maxillary artery, the 

 ascending pharyngeal artery, 

 and the ascending palatine 

 branch of the facial artery. The 

 latter vessel reaches the velum 

 by following the levator palati muscle, and must be 

 divided in the section made of this muscle in the 

 procedures just described. 



It would appear that the nerve supply of the 

 levator palati is derived from the spinal accessory 

 and not from the facial or fifth nerve. 



The pharynx is about five inches in length. It 

 is much wider from side to side than from before 

 backwards. It is widest at the level of the tip of the 

 greater cornua of the hyoid bone, where it measures 

 about two inches. It is narrowest where it joins the 

 gullet opposite the cricoid cartilage, its diameter here 

 being less than three-quarters of an inch. The 



ig. 



the Soft Palate, from 



behind. 



a, Levator palati : 6, tensor 

 palati ; c. hanutlar process; 

 d, wall of pharynx ; e, azy- 

 gos 11 viihr ; /, t lir point of 

 entry of the knife in Pol- 

 lock s operation ; aliove it 

 is the lino of incision made 

 ou withdrawing the knife. 



