112 ANATOMY OF THE RABBIT 



The region between the teeth and the cheeks is the vestibule 

 (vestibulum oris). Note the hairy surface on the medial side 

 of the cheeks. Does this occur in man? With what is it 

 correlated? 



The tongue is a large muscular organ attached to the hyoid 

 apparatus and bears numerous taste buds. The large taste 

 bud on either side and near the base of the tongue represents 

 the circumvalate papillae of man. 



The pharynx is that portion of the alimentary tract into 

 which the mouth and two choanae (posterior nares), with two' 

 Eustachian tubes, empty and from which the esophagus and 

 glottis, or trachea proceed. 



The esophagus connects the pharynx and mouth with the 

 stomach and lies dorsad of the trachea, that is, between the 

 spinal column and the trachea. Thus, food and drink pass over 

 the glottis during the process of swallowing, and are prevented 

 from passing into the trachea by a flap-like structure, the 

 epiglottis, which fits over the constricted glottis. The 

 posterior nares enter the pharynx dorsocraniad of the glottis. 



The two tonsils are tubular and each is readily seen as a 

 thin glandular, flap-shaped structure surrounding a depression, 

 which is often mistaken for the Eustachian tube. 



The two Eustachian (auditory) tubes do not empty into the 

 pharynx directly, as in man, but into the posterior nares about 

 two cm. craniad to the tonsils. Method: SHt through the soft 

 palate into the choanae craniad to a point near the hard palate 

 to find the Eustachian tubes. 



The stomach lies in an obHque transverse position with the 

 greater curvature directed ventrolaterad and the pyloric end 

 dorsolaterad and to the right. Turn the abdominal viscera to 

 the left side of the rabbit and study the form and relations 

 of the stomach and different portions of the intestines and the 

 various relations of these organs. It is not necessary to 

 remove either the liver or the stomach at this time in order to 

 get at the latter. Further study of the systemic and hepatic 

 portal vessels should be made at this time (see Method, p. 107), 



