THK LACHRYMAL GLAND 209 



\ 1 1 . BASAL STRIATIONS 



Whether such structures occur in the lachrymal gland as were 

 early described by R. Heidenhain in fresh gland tissue and by J. 

 Miiller and Pfliiger especially in the salivary ducts, has occasioned 

 much discussion. Boll described 'Triinenrohren' in the lachrymal 

 glands studied by him. Maziarski found none in man. Merkel 

 found none in the lachrymal gland of the dog. Garnier, on the 

 other hand, describes them in this gland in the dog and cat 

 while Zimmermann claims that basal striations in the cells of the 

 human lachrymal gland correspond to a lamellar structure. 

 Fleischer, Hornickel, and Puglisi-Allegra have also recorded 

 indications of the presence of such striatious or lamellar 

 structure. 



Thus we find much difference of opinion regarding the nature 

 and presence of these structures. Even investigators working 

 on the same gland have disagreed regarding them. In some con- 

 tributions it is often difficult to determine just what particular 

 cells are said to possess them. To Bensley ('11) we are especially 

 indebted for clearing up the situation. He has shown that the 

 so termed striations are due to two distinctly different substances 

 — a) mitochondrial filaments of Altmann and Michaelis, and b) 

 basal filaments of Solger and others. ' The former are seen in 

 fresh tissue, are stained vitally by janus green, can be demon- 

 strated by fixing tissues in, acetic osmic bichromate solution and 

 staining by Bensley's acid fuchsin methyl green method in which 

 these filaments are fuchsinophilic in reaction, and are readily 

 destroyed in solutions containing much acetic acid. The basal 

 filaments, on the other hand, are due 'Ho the fact that there 

 are in the cell (speaking of his pancreatic acini fixed in chrome 

 sublimate and stained in toluidin blue) unstained areas shaped 

 like the filaments observed in the fresh cell after staining with 

 J anus green. These are the spaces originally occupied by the 

 mitochondrial filaments." The basal filaments, then, are inter- 

 mitochondrial basophile substance. In preparations fixed in 

 solutions containing sufficient amounts of acetic acid to destroy 

 the mitochondria this basophile substance is broken up into a 

 feltwork of fine filaments. ''These are the familiar basal fila- 



