284 DIGESTIVE ORGANS. [SECT. 134. 



other parts, and form either simple or compound loops; whilst 

 upon the follicles and surrounding them there is an extremely- 

 beautiful and rich network of vessels, the finest of which, o'OO^" 

 to 0'Oo6'", running in an undulating manner immediately upon 

 the coat of the capsule, form a moderately close meshwork. The 

 veins collect themselves from the two places mentioned, and 

 are very wide and numerous. According to E. H. Weber, lym- 

 phatics also appear to come from these glands, and I have observed 

 nerves upon them. 



According to my investigations, the tonsils are merely an aggre- 

 gation of a certain number (10 to 20) of compound follicular 

 glands, which, being firmly connected with each other, and held 

 together by a common investment, form a large hemispherical 

 organ, and also frequently coalesce by their orifices into a smaller 

 number. Every section of the tonsil, however different the shape 

 of its cavity and its external form, has quite the same structure. 

 Tracing them from the oral cavity, we find that the epithelium 

 passes into the recesses Avithin the tonsil, and although somewhat 

 attenuated, completely lines them a& far as the ultimate accessory 

 cavities. Beneath this epithelium there exists a greyish, soft, very 

 vascular membrane, £'" to ■£'" in thickness ; and external to this, 

 another dense, relatively thick, fibrous investment, which, wherever 

 two lobes or sections of the tonsils come in contact, belongs to 

 them in common, and, outside of them, is connected with the 

 common investment of the organ. The soft thick layer between 

 the epithelium and the fibrous investment has the same composition 

 as the corresponding layer of the follicular glands of the root of 

 the tongue. Here also are seen, towards the epithelium, conical 

 or filiform, or even slightly branched papilla?, crc^'" to oo8"' iu 

 length, and ecu"' to 003'" in breadth; then, more deeply, there 

 are rounded, completely closed follicles, situated close to each 

 other, of the same size and with the same contents as those above 

 described; lastly, a soft fibrous tissue connecting them together, 

 and containing numerous vessels. The vessels are still more nu- 

 merous than in the follicles of the tongue ; but, on the whole, 

 ramify in the same manner, only the papillae frequently contain 

 several loops, and the networks around the capsules are denser. 

 Quite recently, I have, as I believe, observed vessels in the interior 

 of the capsules, just as in Peyevs glands. The fibrous investment 

 consists of connective tissue with elastic fibres, and receives some 

 fibres of the superior constrictor of the pharynx. Nerves, it is 

 true, are seen externally upon the tonsils and in the papillae, still I 



