Neck and chest veins. Historical illustration of the veins (blue) of the neck and chest, with the front of the ribcage and the lungs removed. All these veins lead into the superior vena cava vein, which drains deoxygenated blood from the upper parts of the body into the heart (centre). The internal (thick) and external (thin) jugular veins are seen descending down either side of the neck. At right and left, the axillary veins drain blood out of the arms. The heart pumps all this blood to the lungs to be oxygenated, and then around the body in the arteries. Colour lithograph by Fairland from The Vessels of the Human Body, 1837. Based on drawings by J. Swandale.