The principles of surgery / [James Syme].

  • James Syme
Date:
1832
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The principles of surgery / [James Syme]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    138/752 (page 110)
    CHAPTER VIII. BLOOD-VESSELS. Arteries. THE two great arterial trunks, the aorta and pul- monary artery, agree generally in structure and func- tion, but differ remarkably in two respects. The bran- ches of the former unite or anastomose freely with their neighbours, while those of the latter continue uncon- nected from their separation to their termination ; and the coats of the aorta are prone to morbid action, while those of the pulmonary artery are hardly known ever to suffer from it. It is the aorta alone which affords subject for surgical practice. The arterial tube is composed of three coats; 1. The external or cellular ; 2. The middle or fibrous ; and, 3. The imternal or serous. The first of these consists merely of condensed cellular membrane, and is therefore not recognized by some as a distinct tis- sue, being regarded rather as a modification of the cellular sheath which envelopes other organs of the body. But the larger arteries and veins, where lying contiguous, have usually a covering of this kind in addition to the one in question, which, from its com- pactness, strength, and constant existence, ought cer-