Practical anatomy: a manual of dissections / by Christopher Heath.

  • Christopher Heath
Date:
1870
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Practical anatomy: a manual of dissections / by Christopher Heath. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

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    diaphragm to become the abdominal aorta. In its conrse it lies at first to the left, but afterwards in front of the bodies of the vertebrae, crossing the vena azygos minor. It is crossed by the root of the left lung and, very obliquely, by the oesophagus, which overlies it near the diaphragm. The artery has the thoracic duct and the vena azygos major to its right side, and is closely invested by the pleura on the left side. Branches.—From the front of the aorta pericardiac^ bronchial^ oesophageal^ and mediastinal branches are given off which can now be seen. From the back part of the aorta the right and left intercostal arteries arise, which will be afterwards traced. a. The pericardiac branches are irregular. b. The bronchial arteries, one or two to each lung, run on the posterior surface of each bronchus and supply blood to the tissues of the lungs. A bronchial vein accompanies each artery; the right opening into the vena azygos major, and the left into the left superior intercostal vein. c. The oesophageal arteries are four or five small branches to the gullet. d. The mediastinal are small twigs to the cellular tissue and glands of the posterior mediastinum. Thej^ anasto- mose with the pericardiac and oesophageal arteries, and form part of the sub-pleural mediastinal plexus of Turner. The ascending portion of the arch of the aorta and the venas cavfe are to be divided, and the trachea cut just above the bifurcation. The lungs are then to be removed from the chest and kept-for subse- quent examination [p. 431]. The intercostal vessels, the azygos veins, and the gangliated cord of the sympathetic with its branches are now to be dissected out by i-emoving the pleuraj, and opportunity may be taken to follow out the thoracic duct if this was not done satisfac- torily before. Tlie Aortic Intercostal Arteries (Fig. 195) are nine or ten in number on each side, and arise from the back part of the aorta. They supply the lower intercostal spaces, anastomosing with the superior intercostal artery above, and the arteries of the right side are necessarily longer than those of the left, ov/ing to the position of the aorta to the left side of the median line. The upper arteries necessarily ascend to reach their proper intercostal spaces, but the lower ones run transversely, passing beneath the oesophagus, thoracic duct, vena azygos major, and gangli- ated cord of the S3'm[)athetic on the right side; and beneath