428 CILIARY BODY AND CILIARY PROCESSES. 



with a large portion of the pigmentum nigrum. It may be seen 

 very well by placing the eye on the cornea and removing the 

 posterior part of all the coats, without deranging the humors. 

 When thus viewed from behind, it has a black surface, and 

 appears like a ring formed of radiated lines; it has been com- 

 pared to a flower with radiated petals. 



When the black paint is washed off, and the humors of the 

 eye removed with proper caution, the plaited structure of these 

 radiated processes will be very apparent ; it then will appear 

 that the membrane of the choroides is so arranged as to form 

 radiated plaits, and that these plaits are the ciliary processes. 



These plaits or processes do not lie upon each other, but are 

 placed on their edges, one edge looking into the cavity of the 

 eye, and the other edge anteriorly towards the iris. 



Each ciliary process seems to originate from two lines or 

 smaller plaits, called the ciliary strice, which soon unite and 

 form it. The process or plait, thus formed, is rather larger at 

 its central extremity than at any other part ; and their central 

 extremities are not of equal lengths, but alternately longer and 

 shorter. 



The ciliary processes do not extend to the centre of the circle 

 of which they are radii, but stop short of it ; and thus include 

 a circular vacuity or aperture, which is larger than the pupil of 

 the iris, and situated a little way within or behind it. This 

 aperture is occupied by the crystalline lens (to be hereafter 

 described) ; but the central extremities or terminations of the 

 ciliary processes do not adhere to the lens, for they are loose 

 and movable; but they are in contact with its anterior surface, 

 near the margin. 



It is, however, to be observed that the ciliary processes are 

 loose only at their central extremities ; for, towards their other ex- 

 tremities, they seem to adhere, anteriorly, to the iris ; and, poste- 

 riorly, to the retina, and to the capsule of the vitreous humor. 



— The ciliary processes vary in number from 70 to 85, and 

 are divided into the large and small, the latter being included 

 within the spaces of the former. They are extremely vascular 

 and when minutely injected and magnified, their vessels present 



