THE WITHERS 35 
the spinal accessory—the eleventh cranial— 
nerve. ~ 
The spinal nerves are seldom exposed to 
view in surgery of the withers and as they have 
a promiscuous distribution, loss of motor 
power is never observed from incision of the 
trunks or their ramuli. 
The spinal accessory being the chief motor 
supply of the trapezius and lying in a super- 
ficial position may be incised in making reck- 
less vertical incision over the lateral surface 
of the scapula below the scapular cartilage. 
Its division while not attended with any pro- 
nounced harm is inadvisable on the general 
grounds that large muscular areas should not 
be unnerved. 
The Lymphatic System of the Withers 
This may be said to include the intercostal 
nodes of this region and the prescapular nodes, 
together with their afferent vessels. 
The intercostal nodes are located at the 
intercostal spaces at each side of the vertebre, 
and they receive vessels arising chiefly in and 
among the dorsal muscles. They are small in 
the normal state but in fistula of the withers 
they become larger and may even suppurate or 
become the initial seat of a secondary pleuritis, 
