Palato-pharyngeus

Musculus palato-pharyngeus. Thyro-staph i lin us of Douglas. Thyro-pharyngo-staph i lin us of Winslow. A muscle situated at the side of the entry of the fauces. It arises by a broad beginning from the middle of the velum pendulum palati at. the root of the uvula posteriorly, and from the tendinous expansion of the circumflex us pa- Jati. ‘The fibres are collected within the posterior arch behind the tonsils, and run backwards to the top and lateral part of the pharynx, where the fibres are scattered and mixed with those of the stylo-pharyngeus. _ It is inserted into the edge of the upper and back part of the thyroid cartilage. Its use is to draw the uvula and velum pendulum palati downwards and backwards, and at the same time to pull the thyroid cartilage and pharynx upwards, and shorten it; with the constrictor superior phatyngis and tongue, it a ists in shutting the pa age into the nostrils; and in swallowing, it thrusts the food from the fauces into the pharynx.