294 The Ducts of the Human Submaxillary Gland 



Kultschultzky "■' describes in the epithelium of the intralobular ducts 

 of the submaxillary of the hedge-hog three distinct cytoplasmic zones, 

 an inner mucous zone, a protoplasmic zone, and a rodded zone next to 

 the membrana propria. In the human gland three zones can be dis- 

 tinctly seen, but whether the deeply-staining portion adjacent to the 

 lumen is due to a mucous zone has not yet been definitely settled. 



Toldt" divided the excretory system into three portions, branches 

 extending from the hilus of the gland to the points where they enter 

 the lobule, branches given off within the lobule, and finally the so-called 

 intercalary ducts connecting the alveoli with Pfliiger's salivary tubes. 

 These ducts, according to Toldt, do not have the same arrangement in 

 all glands and may even vary in the mucous and serous alveoli of the 

 same gland. 'Toldt first called the attention to the fact that the nature 

 of the division of the ducts is dichotomous and that this plan occurs 

 both within and without the lobule. 



According to Krause,'' the height of the epithelium depends on the 

 diameter of the duct, the one varying directly with the other. He shows 

 also in one of the figures, viz., Fig. 7, an ampulla within the alveolus 

 but does not seem to recognize its importance as a definite part in the 

 secretory system. In the schema given in Fig. 10, Krause also repre- 

 sents long serous alveoli given off from the intercalary ducts; the regu- 

 larity of the ovoid ampullae found in corrosion preparations shows that 

 the alveoli of both mucous and serous portions possesses also this same 

 general shape, with perhaps a more marked constriction at the end 

 where they rise from the intercalary ducts. This fact is also empha- 

 sized by the work of Maziarski/" who has used in two splendid researches 

 on the classification and structure of different glands, Born's wax-plate 

 method for the reconstruction of their terminal ducts and alveoli. 

 Among other glands, both mucous and serous portions of the submax- 

 illary were studied by this investigator. The results show that the 

 salivary tubes or intralobular ducts in the serous parts of the gland 

 break up after a short course into the intercalary ducts. These subdi- 

 vide again until they terminate finally in the alveoli. The alveoli are 

 slightly oval or pear-shaped and look like a bimch of grapes hanging on 

 a stem. In the mucous portions of the gland the intralobular ducts 

 seem larger than the serous parts. The intercalary portion which is also 



"5 Kultschultzky : Zeit. f. Wiss. Zool., XLI, 1885. 

 "Toldt: Gewebelehre, Stuttgart, 1888. 



18 Krause : Arch. f. Mik. Anat., Bd. XLV, 189.5. Bd. XLIX, 1897. 

 19 Maziarski : Bull. Internat. de I'Acad. d. Scien. de Cracovie, 1900. Anat. Hefte, 

 Bd. XVIII, Heft I, 1901. 



