§11Πρώτη μὲν οὖν συζυγία τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ νωτιαίου νεύρων ἐκφύεται διατετρημένου τοῦ πρώτου σπονδύλου τρήμασι τούτων τῶν τοῖς πρώτοις ς΄ σπονδύλοις κοινῶν ὑπαρχόντων διαφερομένοις.
Therefore, the first pairing of the nerves from the spinal cord arises by the first vertebra being pierced with foramina, which exist in common for the first six vertebrae, yet are different.
τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐν ταῖς ἐγκαρσίαις ἀποφύσεσίν ἐστι καὶ οὐδαμῶς τοῦ μυελοῦ ἅπτονται· τὰ δὲ ἁπτόμενα δύο ἐστὸν ἑτέρω, δι’ ὧν ἡ πρώτη νεύρων ἐκπίπτει συζυγία, μίαν μὲν ἔχουσα κατ’ αὐτὸν τὸν νωτιαῖον ῥίζαν, εὐθὺς δὲ δίχα σχισθεῖσα, τῷ μὲν ἑτέρῳ τῶν μορίων ὀπίσω φέρεται, τῷ δὲ θατέρῳ πρὸς τὰ πλάγια.
For while some are in the transverse processes and in no way touch the spinal cord, those that do touch it are two other foramina, through which the first pairing of nerves emerges, having a single root at the spinal cord itself, but being immediately split in two; with one of the parts it is carried backward, and with the other toward the sides.
αὕτη μὲν οὖν μικρά ἐστιν ἡ τῶν νεύρων συζυγία ἐν τούτοις τοῖς ζώοις, ἐν οἷς οἱ πρῶτοι σπόνδυλοι μικροί εἰσιν, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς πιθήκοις, μεγάλη δὲ, ἐν οἷς μεγάλοι, ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς καρχαρόδουσί τε καὶ κερασφόροις.
This pairing of nerves, then, is small in those animals in which the first vertebrae are small, as in apes, but large in those in which they are large, as in serrated-toothed and horned animals.
ἐν τούτοις οὖν διὰ μὲν αὐτὸ τὸ μέγεθος ἡ νεύρων ἔκφυσις ἡ πρὸς τὰ πλάγια ἀφικνουμένη εἰς πλείστους μῦς διασπείρεται, τοὺς ἐν ταῖς ἀνατομικαῖς ἐγχειρήσεσιν εἰρημένους.
In these, then, because of their very size, the offshoot of the nerves reaching toward the sides is dispersed into very many muscles, namely those mentioned in *Anatomical Procedures*.
ἐν πιθήκοις δὲ τοῖς τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐν ἄλλοις τε πλείστοις μέρεσι καὶ μάλιστα ἐν τραχήλῳ ὁμοιοτάτοις εἰς μόνους τοὺς περὶ τὴν διάρθρωσιν τῆς κεφαλῆς μῦς ἡ πρώτη νενέμηται συζυγία, καὶ αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἀκριβῶς ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνατομικῶν ἐγνωσμένους.
But in apes, which are most similar to man in many other parts and especially in the neck, the first pairing is distributed only to the muscles around the joint of the head, and even these are not accurately known by anatomists.
§12Ἡ δὲ δευτέρα τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ νωτιαίου συζυγία νεύρων ἐκ τῶν ὀπίσω μὲν ἀνίσχει καὶ αὐτὴ μερῶν, οὐ μὴν διὰ τρημάτων γέ τινων, καθάπερ ἡ πρώτη.
The second pairing of nerves from the spinal cord also arises from the back parts, but indeed not through any foramina, as the first does.
χώρα γάρ τίς ἐστι καθ’ ἑκάτερον μέρος τῆς ἀκάνθης γυμνὴ τῶν κατὰ τοὺς σπονδύλους ὀστῶν ἐν τῷ μεταξὺ τοῦ τε πρώτου καὶ τοῦ δευτέρου, καθ’ ἣν ἐκφύεται τὰ νεῦρα, μέρει μέν τινι καὶ ταῦτα διὰ τῶν πλαγίων ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσω φερόμενα, συμπλεκόμενά τε τοῖς κατὰ τὴν πρώτην καὶ τρίτην συζυγίαν νεύροις, ὥσπερ καὶ ἡ τρίτη τοῖς ἀπ’ ἐγκεφάλου ἐκφυομένοις· ἡ πλείστη δ’ αὐτῶν μοῖρα τοῖς ὀπίσω τοῦ τραχήλου διανέμεται μυσὶν, ἀφ’ ὧν αἱ τῶν πρώτων σπονδύλων πρὸς ἀλλήλους τε καὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν γίγνονται κινήσεις, μετὰ τοῦ καὶ διδόναι τι τοῖς πλατέσι μυσὶ τοῖς κινοῦσι τὰς γνάθους.
For there is a certain space on each side of the spine, bare of the bones belonging to the vertebrae, in the interval between the first and the second, along which the nerves arise, these also being carried in some part through the sides to the front, and interweaving with the nerves of the first and third pairings, just as the third also does with those arising from the brain; but the greatest part of them is distributed to the muscles at the back of the neck, from which the movements of the first vertebrae with respect to one another and to the head occur, along with also giving something to the flat muscles that move the jaws.
ὅσον δ’ ὑπόλοιπον αὐτῶν ἐστιν, ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἀναφέρεται τοῦτο, τὴν ὀπίσω χώραν αὐτῆς ἅπασαν διαπλέκον, τά τε περὶ τὰ ὦτα μόρια, καὶ τὰ μέχρι τῆς κορυφῆς τε καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς τοῦ βρέγματος.
Whatever is left of them ascends to the head, weaving through its entire back region, the parts around the ears, and those up to the crown and the beginning of the bregma.
οὕτως μὲν καὶ τὸ εἰς πρόσω φερόμενον σχεδὸν καὶ αὐτὸ εἰς ἅπαν τὸ πρόσω τῆς κεφαλῆς μέρος διασπείρεται.
In this way, that which is carried to the front is also dispersed, almost itself, into the entire front part of the head.
§13Ἡ δὲ τρίτη συζυγία τῶν ἀπὸ τοῦ νωτιαίου νεύρων ἐκ μὲν τῶν πλαγίων μερῶν φύεται, καθ’ ὃ συμβάλλοντες ἀλλήλοις ὁ δεύτερός τε καὶ τρίτος σπόνδυλος ἐργάζονται τρῆμα κοινὸν στρογγύλον, ἴσον εὖρος τῷ πάχει τοῦ νεύρου.
The third pairing of nerves from the spinal cord arises from the side parts, where the second and third vertebrae, meeting each other, form a common round foramen of width equal to the thickness of the nerve.
σχιζομένη δ’ αὐτίκα τῷ μὲν ἑτέρῳ τῶν μερῶν ὀπίσω φέρεται διὰ βάθους τῶν ἐνταῦθα μυῶν, ἀπονεμήσεις αὐτοῖς διδοῦσά τινας· ἔπειτα ἀνίσχει παρ’ αὐτὴν τὴν ἄκανθαν τῆς ῥάχεως.
Being immediately split, with one of the parts it is carried backward through the depth of the muscles there, giving them some distributions; then it emerges alongside the spine of the backbone itself.
ἐντεῦθέν τε πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ πρόσω φέρεται τὸ νεῦρον τοῦτο λοξὸν, εἰς τοὺς ὀπίσω τοῦ ὠτὸς μῦς διασπειρόμενον, ἓν ἑκατέρωθεν· τοῦτο γὰρ ἀεὶ, κᾂν μὴ λέγω, ὑπό σου ἐνθυμούμενον βούλομαι.
From there again, this nerve is carried obliquely to the front, being dispersed into the muscles behind the ear, one on each side; for I wish this to be always kept in mind by you, even if I do not say it.
τῷ δὲ ἑτέρῳ τῶν μερῶν πρόσω φερομένῳ αὐτὴ τρίτη ἡ συζυγία, καθ’. ἣν ὁ λόγος ἐστὶ, προσχώροις ἐκφύσεσιν ἐπιμίγνυται, ἀπονεμήσεις τέ τινας ἄλλοις τε τοῖς ἐκεῖ οὖσι σώμασι, καὶ τοῖς πλατέσι μυσὶ, τοῖς δὲ καὶ τούτοις πρόσω τοῦ ὠτὸς πέμπει, καὶ τοῖς τὰς γνάθους κινοῦσι, καὶ τοῖς ἀνανεύουσιν ὅλον τὸν τράχηλον ὀπίσω κατὰ τῆς συμπάσης κεφαλῆς διανέμεται.
With the other part carried to the front, this third pairing itself, of which we are speaking, mixes with neighboring outgrowths, and sends some distributions both to other bodies existing there and to the flat muscles, and some also to those in front of the ear, and to those moving the jaws, and is distributed to those bending the whole neck backward against the entire head.
ἐπιμίγνυται δ’ αὐταῖς τὸ πρόσω φερόμενον ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς συζυγίαις, τῇ τε πρόσθεν εἰρημένῃ τῇ δευτέρᾳ καὶ τῇ μετὰ ταῦτα ῥηθησομένῃ τῇ τετάρτῃ.
And that which is carried to the front mixes with both pairings, both the second mentioned before and the fourth to be mentioned after this.
καὶ τήν γ’ ἀκριβῆ νομὴν, ἣν ἐν τοῖς πρόσω τοῦ τραχήλου μέρεσιν ἡ σύζευξις αὐτῶν ἴσχει, καθ’ ἕτερον εἰρήσεται λόγον.
And indeed, their precise distribution, which their junction has in the front parts of the neck, will be spoken of in another account.
ἐν δὲ τῷ παρόντι χρὴ γινώσκειν τοσοῦτον, ὡς ἡ τρίτη καὶ τετάρτη συζυγία τοῖς τε κοινοῖς τοῦ τραχήλου καὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς μυσὶν αὐτὴ χορηγεῖ τὰ νεῦρα, καὶ τοῖς τὰς γνάθους κινοῦσιν, ὥσπερ γε καὶ τοῖς ὀπίσω τῶν ὤτων ἅπασι μέρεσι.
But for the present, it is necessary to know this much: that the third and fourth pairings themselves supply the nerves to the muscles common to the neck and the head, and to those moving the jaws, just as indeed to all the parts behind the ears.