NECK (AS. harem. 0i10. brim-, rarer, Cer.
nek, probably eonneeted with ()Ir. (-note, ()Bret. enoc•h, hill. elevation). The por Lion. of the anatomy between the head and the shoulders. In the human being there are several muscles that pass from the skull to the thorax, which, together xvith the (esophagus ;old the trachea, form the principal bulk of the neck. Through the neck run very important blood-ves sels between the brain and the thorax, among these being the carotid arteries and the jugular reins, an incision into either of which usually causes death very promptly. Through the oesoph agus the food passes into the stomach, and through the trachea the air passes into the bronchi and thence into the lungs. The principal muscles of the neck are the platysma myoides, the sterno-cleido-mastoid, the infra-hyoid and supra-hyoid, the muscles of the tongue. the mus cles of the palate and of the pharynx, and the prevertebral muscles, as well as certain of the muscles of the back which are inserted into the skull: as the traehelo-mastoid. complexus. trans versalis the rictus group, the longus col li, the three scaleni, and the cervical is ascenders.
Several of these muscles form important triangles, with the aid of the ramus of the jaw, the clavi cle, the hyoid hone, and the imaginary centre line of the body. These triangles are of use to the sur geon in locating and describing important struc tures. For instance, the digastrie triangle is hounded by the above, and on either side by a belly of the digastric muscle, attached (at the apex of the triangle) to the hyoid hone be low. Within this triangle are to be found a por tion of the facial artery and of the lingual artery; and it is the site chosen for ligating the last-named artery.
In man there is present at the back of the neck a rudiment of an important elastic ligament. which in some of the lower animals serves to sustain the weight of the head. It is called the ligumentum nuc:Ittr, and is a yellow elastic liga ment, which represents in the neck the supra spinous and inter-spinons ligaments of the verte hrue of the lower part of the spine. It extends from the external occipital protuherance to the spinons process of the seventh cervical vertebra.