The levator palati or peristaphylinus infernos (petro-staphylin. Chauss.) is a flat and narrow muscle, and commences by a thin tendinous and fleshy origin which is attached to the under rough surface of the petrous portion of the temporal bone and neighbouring part of the cartilaginous portion of the Eustachian tube on its inner side ; from thence it descends, resting upon the cephalo-pharyngeal aponeurosis, then slips beneath the upper edge of the superior constrictor muscle, and passes upon its internal surface to reach the palate; the muscle now takes a more horizontal direction inwards, and expanding spreads its fibres in the substance of the velum to unite with its fellow from the opposite side in the median line, and is also inserted into the posterior border of the ex panded tendon of the circumflexus palati. The insertions of the levator and circumflexus palati muscles on either side form a thin stmtum, tendinous in front and muscular behind, through the whole extent of the soft palate. The levator palati in its vertical course is re lated by its outer surface to the Eustachian tube and circumflexus palati muscle, from which latter it is soon separated by the supe rior constrictor of the pharynx ; it is covered internally by the pharyngeal aponeurosis and mucous membrane: it is an elevator of the pendulous portion of the soft palate.
The palato-pharyngeus or pharyngo-staphy linus consists of a delicate bundle of fibres contained in the fold of mucous membrane, known as the posterior pillar of the fauces ; it expands upwards into the substance of the velum and downwards into the pharyngeal walls. The muscular fibres which spread in the velum are very delicate and mingled with those of the palato-glossus : they are situated immediately beneath the levator palati muscle and reach across the palate to join with fibres from the muscle of the opposite side in the middle line : some of the fibres are attached also to the posterior edge of the circumflexus palati tendon : arching over the upper and posterior margin of the tonsil they contract to descend as a thin bundle in the posterior pillar of the fauces, and again expanding pass into the lateral wall of the pharynx between the mucous membrane and constrictor muscles ; here they meet with the fibres of the stylo pharyngeus muscle and have an attachment with them to the posterior border of the thyroid cartilage and to the pharyngeal mucous mem brane. The principal action of these muscles is to contract the isthmus faucium, which they can do superiorly almost to obliteration ; they can scarcely have much effect in raising the pharynx; if this latter be the fixed point, they may draw down the velum and so act as anta gonists to the levatores palati.
The palato-glossus, or constrictor isthmus faucium (glosso-staphylinus), occupies the an terior pillar of the fauces and spreads its fibres in the velum with the palato-pharyngeus, then descends to expand upon the side of the tongue near its base, mingling its fibres with the stylo glossus muscle. They may either act upon
the velum by depressing it or raise the sides of the tongue to it.
Azygos uvulm or palato-staphylinus is a slen der fusiform muscle, or rather a pair of muscles lying side by side : a narrow slip of tendon attached to the posterior nasal spine gives origin to the muscular fibres, which proceed backwards and downwards in the middle line, resting upon the circumflexus and levator palati muscles, and are lost in the substance of the uvula, which organ they shorten.
The thickness of the soft palate is mainly dependent on a dense mass of small glands, a continuation in short of the series already de scribed as occupying the structure of the pala tine membrane. They form an extremely thick layer anteriorly, but as the velum thins to its posterior free border, so these glands become the more scattered as they are traced backwards; they lie between the muscles and the mucous membrane investing the under surface of the velum ; a few also are scattered beneath the mucous membrane covering its upper surface, and a larger proportion of them in the sub stance of the uvula, its bulk being chiefly formed by them.
The tonsils or amygdalte (cti.wySsearez) are lodged in the interval between the pillars of the fauces : they are almond-shaped, with their larger extremities directed upwards, but vary in size in different individuals. They appear to consist of an assemblage of mucous glands, whose excretory ducts terminate in small sacs that are imbedded in the substance of the tonsil, and which open by larger or smaller orifices upon the surface of the mucous membrane. When the tonsils are inflamed these sacs exude a whitish secretion, which has some resemblance to an ulcer on their surface. The palato-glossus descends in front of and the palato-pharyngeus behind these organs ; they are supported ex ternally by the superior constrictor muscle, and are covered upon their internal surface by the mucous membrane of the mouth. In inflam matory enlargements of the tonsil it is closely related to the internal carotid artery, which vessel will be applied to its outer side and be hind it, so that when an opening is required in the tonsil, the point of the lancet should be directed inwards towards the cavity of the mouth. The tonsils and soft palate are well supplied with blood by the palatine and ton sillitic branches from the facial, by the ascend ing pharyngeal and internal maxillary arteries. A considerable plexus of veins is formed round the tonsil, which terminates in the pharyngeal venous plexus. Besides the nervous twigs de rived from the palatine branches of Meckel's ganglion, the soft palate also receives filaments from a plexus formed around the tonsils by the tonsillitic branches of the glosso-pharyngeal, which has been called the circulus tonsillaris. For the description of the tongue, the remaining boundary of the cavity of the mouth, see