CHAPTER V. 

 DIGESTIVE GLANDS. 



SALIVARY GLANDS. 



i. Parotid Gland (serous gland). This is a com- 

 pound tubular gland, the largest of the salivary 

 glands, situated in the parotid recess at the side of the 

 head below and in front of the ear. It is a triangular 

 mass that varies in weight from one-half ounce to 

 one ounce or more. Its three surfaces are desig- 

 nated as superficial, anterior and posterior. The 

 gland is divided into lobes and lobules and inter- 

 laced with connective-tissue elements from the 

 parotid fascia that invests it. 



The parotid, or Stenson's duct, measures from 

 one and one-half to two and one-half inches in 

 length and one-eighth inch in diameter. It runs 

 forward across the masseter muscle, passes around 

 the anterior border of this muscle, pierces the buc- 

 cinator, then forward a short distance to open on 

 the inner surface of the cheek opposite the crown 

 of the second upper molar. This duct is subject to 

 injury in facial wounds or operations. 



The gland is an epithelial organ and consists of 

 the excretory duct, interlobular , intralobular , and in- 

 tercalated ducts, and the distal convoluted tubules or 

 alveoli. The excretory duct (Stenson's) is lined by 

 stratified epithelium near its end where it opens on 

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