=The Mandible.= =Mandibula= (Figs. 36 and 37).--The mandible (or inferior maxillary bone) is composed of two halves which come together at the cranial end and form the lower jaw. At its caudal end each half articulates with the temporal bone at the mandibular fossa, and at its cranial end it joins the opposite bone, the suture being known as the =symphysis= of the jaw (=symphysis menti=) (Fig. 37, _a_).
Each half consists of a horizontal portion, the =body= (_b_), bearing teeth on one of its borders (the =alveolar border=), and of a vertical portion, the =ramus= (_c_).
The body (_b_) has the form of a flattened cylinder and has two surfaces and two borders. The lateral surface (Fig. 36) is smooth and presents near its cranial end a foramen (or sometimes two), the =mental foramen= (_d_), forming the cranial termination of the mandibular canal. At its caudal end is a deep fossa continuing on to the ramus, the =coronoid fossa=, or =masseteric fossa= (_e_).
[Illustration: FIG. 36.--MANDIBLE, LATERAL SURFACE.
_a_, symphysis; _b_, body; _c_, ramus; _d_, mental foramina; _e_, coronoid fossa; _f_, mandibular foramen; _g_, angular process; _h_, coronoid process; _i_, condyloid process; 1, 2, 3, the three incisor teeth; 4, the canine tooth; 5, 6, the premolars; 7, the molar tooth.]
The medial surface (Fig. 37) is smooth and has near its caudal end a foramen, the =mandibular foramen= (_f_), which communicates with the mandibular canal leading lengthwise through the bone to the mental foramen. The cranial end is roughened for attachment to the bone of the opposite side.
The ventral border is smooth and rounded; it ends caudally in a blunt point, the =angular process= (_g_). The dorsal (alveolar) border is slightly curved and bears the sockets (=alveoli=) for the teeth. It is continuous with the cranial margin of the coronoid process.
The ramus is divided into two portions, the =coronoid= process (_h_) and the =condyloid= process (_i_). The coronoid process (_h_) extends dorsocaudad as a thin plate of bone with smooth surfaces and borders. Its outer surface is partly occupied by the =coronoid fossa= (_e_). The condyloid process (_i_) has the form of a semicylindrical transverse piece of bone attached to the caudal margin of the coronoid process. It articulates with the mandibular fossa of the temporal bone.