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Muscles of the neck

Muscles of the neck

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major arises from the spinous process of the epistropheus, spreads
as a fan in several slips, which insert partly fleshy, partly with
tendons into the occipital plane. The m. r. p. minor is a short,
very strong, entirely fleshy muscle, which arises from the atlas
and inserts into the occiput somewhat above the foramen magnum
; it is for the greater part covered by the m. r. p. major and
is partially rather intimately connected with it.

The surface into which the m. obliqims superior is inserted,
is also rather large (in the PI. 3 it appears very shortened). This
muscle is divided in two portions, of which the upper has the
larger surface of insertion. The muscle is nevertheless of modest
size.

A very strong muscle is on the contrary — as it might be
expected for the rotator of the colossal head — the m. obliquus
inferior, which goes from the epistropheus to the atlas. The
muscle has an almost quite transverse position.

Compared with the enormous extensor muscles the flexor
muscles (m. long us cap. etc.) are of quite modest strength.

As for the rest of the muscles of the neck we refer to the
paper of Miall & greenwood. In our PI. 2 a muscle is represented
which we have designated as the anterior part of the m.
serratus magnus = levator anguli scapulae. Of this muscle M. & G.
say (1. c. p. 396), that it has an anterior portion, which is inserted
into „the front of the transverse process of the atlas by means of
a thin, flat, tendinous slip". But the muscular portion, which we
have designated as the anterior part of the serratus, inserts into the
basis cranii in front of the condylus occipitalis, mediad to the origin
of the digastricus and close behind the medial portion of the
masto-humeralis. Nevertheless we think that we are right in designing
it as a portion of the levator anguli scapulas, which may indeed
in some Mammals insert into — resp. arise from — the skull (in
the Rabbit and others). Otherwise we do not know what it might be.

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