CEPHALIC Vein, in anatomy, creeps along the arm between the skin and the muscles, and divides it into two branches: the external goes down to the wrist, where it joins the basilica, and turns up to the back of the hand; the internal branch, together with a small one of the basilica, makes the mediana. See Plate XVII. 10, 10, 12.
The ancients used to open the vein for disorders of the head, for which reason it bears this name; but a better acquaintance with the circulation of the blood informs us, that there is no foundation for such a notion.