Abstract
The posterior auricular artery and its whole ramifications of the cat were investigated by means of the acryl plastic injection method. This artery arose directly from the second curvature of the external carotid artery or rarely in common with the superficial temporal artery, between the origins of the digastric and the styloglossal muscles, and gave rise to the styloglossal, the sternomastoid, the mandibular glandular and the mandibular lymph nodular branches on the lateral side of the styloglossal muscle. The stylomastoid artery, one of the important branches of this artery, gave off branches to the external auditory meatus and the mucous membrane lining the tympanic cavity. The parent artery then gave rise to the temporal branch, and many branches supplying the auricle: the primary lateral, the secondary lateral, the intermediate auricular and the occipital branches. It finally divided into the medial auricular and the frontal branches. The main stream of this artery represented an important vessel which sent not only a majority of the blood to the auricle, but also to the middle ear and the retromandibular region.
