OF THE GLANDS OF THE SKIN. 219 



The vessels of the cerumiuous glands arc disposed like those 

 of the sudoriparous; in one case I noticed, in addition, a fine 

 nervous fibre of O003'" in the midst of a gland. As to the 

 development of these glands I can only say, that in a foetus of 

 five months they had the form of straight, pale processes of the 

 stratum Malpighii of the epidermis of the external auditory 

 meatus, were entirely composed of nucleated cells, and ended 

 by a slightly enlarged termination somewhat twisted upon 

 its axis, in which the first indication of a glandular coil 

 was presented. In other words, these rudimentary glands 

 exactly resembled the sudoriparous glands at the same 

 period ; and considering the great anatomical resemblance 

 between the two structures, I do not doubt for a moment 

 that the ceruminous glands, both in their first commence- 

 ment and subsequently, go through the same phases as the 

 former. 



[According to all that I have seen of the ceruminous glands, 

 I must consider them to be mere modifications of the sudori- 

 parous. In speaking of these it has already been remarked, 

 that their secretions are certainly not everywhere identical, 

 being in one locality more aqueous, in another fatty and albu- 

 minous, with peculiar odorous ingredients. Even although 

 the cerumen may, to some extent, contain peculiar substances, 

 e. g., the yellow bitter substance, which, however, according to 

 Lehmann, is not bilin, nevertheless, taking into account the 

 other correspondences (consider the almost constant and often 

 very abundant yellow granules in the sudoriparous glands, 

 which are also insoluble in acids and alkalies), we may asso- 

 ciate the ceruminous glands with the sudoriparous, especially 

 with the larger among the latter, which are both anatomically 

 and physiologically most closely allied to them ; in fact, I am 

 inclined, for my own part, to think, that the smallest pale 

 ceruminous glands at the commencement of the meatus are 

 hardly distinguishable from common sudoriparous glands. 

 Nothing is known of the pathological conditions of the ceru- 

 minous glands — of the cerumen itself we know that it is often 

 quite solid, at other times fluid, puriform, and pale coloured. 

 In the latter case, which is seen in congested conditions of the 

 external meatus, it contaius far more fluid and free fat than 



