380 



PRACTICAL HISTOLOGY. 



[XXXIV. 



(a.) 



FIG. 352 



H 



Observe the same general arrangement as in Pacinian cor- 

 puscles. These bodies, however, are more 

 elongated, and the axis-cylinder in the 

 centre is bordered by a row of nuclei. 



D. Touch-Corpuscles of Wagner or 

 Meissner. These are elliptical bodies 

 (40-1 50 fji long and 30-60 p. broad), which 

 occur in the papillae of the skin, especially 

 in the volar side of the fingers and toes. 

 A nerve-fibre passes to each corpuscle, 

 which has a fibrous sheath. Owing to the 

 way in which the divisions of the nerve 

 twist round the corpuscle, they have an 

 irregular transversely striated appearance. 

 The nerve-fibre enters the corpuscle, and 

 its branches take a coiled course round the 

 j corpuscle. 



7. V.S. Skin (Touch-Corpuscles). (i.) 

 Make vertical sections of skin (palmar 

 1 surface of digit), harden in alcohol, stain 

 them in haematoxylin or safranin, and 

 mount in balsam (fig. 352). 



(ii.) Treat skin by the boiled gold 

 chloride method to see the terminal 

 branches and distribution of the nerve 



T 



In some 

 situations tlie corpuscles are compound. 



The following Table shows the modes 

 of termination of nerve-fibres in sensory 

 surfaces : 



V.S. Skin, Palm of .,, . ,, , tc . x 



6. Papilla of cutis ; within the corpuscle (fig. 353). 



and 



S 

 touch-corpuscle ; g. Cells of 



