GLANDS OF THE ORAL CAVITY. 33 



the right period, all the follicles may be seen enlarged, but still 

 closed and beautifully injected, so that it is quite impossible to 

 overlook them. An instance of such a hyperaemic tonsil, with 

 distended, lingual follicular glands, the follicles attaining a size of 

 0*3(3 — 0*48'", was what first led me to a conception of the true 

 structure of these parts, which has been only verified by subse- 

 quent investigations. The difficulties attending the investigation 

 in man disappear in many animals, and I can especially recom- 

 mend the tonsils of the Pig and Sheep, the lingual follicular 

 glands of the Ox and the tonsil-like organs at the entrance of 

 the larynx in the Pig, Sheep, and Ox, in which the structure 

 may be always readily made out, both in fresh organs and in 

 those which have been hardened in strong alcohol. 



With respect to the secretion of the tonsils in man, it is cer- 

 tainly abnormal in many cases, in the dead subjects which are 

 accessible for investigation ; for instance, when the cavities con- 

 tain considerable quantities of a greyish, yellowish, or greenish, 

 sometimes softer, sometimes more consistent mucus, if it may 

 be so called, the constituents of these contents being larger and 

 smaller cells, with a single nucleus, some of which have under- 

 gone a very obvious fatty metamorphosis, while others have cavities 

 and thickened membranes ; further, epithelium (not ciliated cy- 

 linders, as Valentin states, having probably confounded with such, 

 the deepest, here very much elongated, cells of the pavement 

 epithelium), occasionally abundant cholesterin crystals and 

 mucedinous fungi. The secretion is more normal if it consist 

 only of epithelium, of small cells without fat and of free nuclei, 

 the two latter elements being perfectly similar to those in the 

 follicles ; such great masses of them, however, are often found, 

 that we must suppose they have been developed in excess. 



In any case I am disposed to consider such cells and nuclei as 

 the proper secretion of the tonsils, inasmuch as, in animals, as 

 for example, the Sheep, we find similar contents, though their 

 amount is often small. It is difficult to decide whether they 

 are afforded by the follicles or not ; certain it is, that they are 

 identical with the contents of the latter, and that in man the 

 follicles burst, but the former might be accidental, and the 

 latter only a morbid process. 



In fact, however frequently the tonsils of animals are 

 examined, no ruptured follicles are ever met with ; they are 



ii. 3 



