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Henry Gray (1821–1865). Anatomy of the Human Body . 1918.

VII. The Veins

Introduction

THE VEINS conv ey the blood from the capillaries of the different parts of the body to the heart. 1

They consist of two distinct sets of v essels, the pulmonary and systemic.
The Pulmonary Veins, unlik e other v eins, contain arterial blood, which they return from the 2

lungs to the left atrium of the heart.

The Systemic Veins return the v enous blood from the body generally to the right atrium of 3

the heart.
The Portal Vein, an appendage to the sy stemic v enous sy stem, is confined to the abdominal 4

cav ity , and returns the v enous blood from the spleen and the v iscera of digestion to the liv er.
This v essel ramifies in the substance of the liv er and there break s up into a minute network of
capillary -lik e v essels, from which the blood is conv ey ed by the hepatic v eins to the inferior v ena
cav a.
The v eins commence by minute plexuses which receiv e the blood from the capillaries. The 5

branches arising from these plexuses unite together into trunk s, and these, in their passage
toward the heart, constantly increase in size as they receiv e tributaries, or join other v eins. The
v eins are larger and altogether more numerous than the arteries; hence, the entire capacity of
the v enous sy stem is much greater than that of the arterial; the capacity of the pulmonary v eins,
howev er, only slightly exceeds that of the pulmonary arteries. The v eins are cy lindrical lik e the
arteries; their walls, howev er, are thin and they collapse when the v essels are empty , and the
uniformity of their surfaces is interrupted at interv als by slight constrictions, which indicate the
existence of v alv es in their interior. They communicate v ery freely with one another, especially in
certain regions of the body ; and these communications exist between the larger trunk s as well as
between the smaller branches. Thus, between the v enous sinuses of the cranium, and between
the v eins of the neck , where obstruction would be attended with imminent danger to the
cerebral v enous sy stem, large and frequent anastomoses are found. The same free
communication exists between the v eins throughout the whole extent of the v ertebral canal, and
between the v eins composing the v arious v enous plexuses in the abdomen and pelv is, e. g., the
spermatic, uterine, v esical, and pudendal.
The sy stemic v enous channels are subdiv ided into three sets, v iz., superficial and deep veins, 6

and venous sinuses.

The Superficial Veins (cutaneous v eins) are found between the lay ers of the superficial fascia 7

immediately beneath the sk in; they return the blood from these structures, and communicate
with the deep v eins by perforating the deep fascia.
The Deep Veins accompany the arteries, and are usually enclosed in the same sheaths with 8

those v essels. With the smaller arteries—as the radial, unlar, brachial, tibial, peroneal—they exist
generally in pairs, one ly ing on each side of the v essel, and are called venæ comitantes. The

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VII. The Veins. Introduction. Gray , Henry . 1918. Anatomy of the... http://www.bartleby .com/107/164.html

larger arteries—such as the axillary , subclav ian, popliteal, and femoral—hav e usually only one
accompany ing v ein. In certain organs of the body , howev er, the deep v eins do not accompany
the arteries; for instance, the v eins in the sk ull and v ertebral canal, the hepatic v eins in the liv er,
and the larger v eins returning blood from the bones.
Venous Sinuses are found only in the interior of the sk ull, and consist of canals formed by a 9

separation of the two lay ers of the dura mater; their outer coat consists of fibrous tissue, their
inner of an endothelial lay er continuous with the lining membrane of the v eins.

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