MICROSCOPICAL DIAGNOSIS. 35 



EPITHELIUM, CONTENTS OF ORAL CAVITY, 



SPUTA, VOMITED MATTERS, RECAL 



MATTER, MILK. 



THE general distribution of epithelial cells and the great variety 

 in their size and shape, render their careful study a necessity. 



The microscopist is liable to find these cells when examining 

 almost any tissue. 



The surface of the body is covered with a stratified layer of 

 epithelium, consisting of irregular, broken cells, without nuclei. 



The cells composing the nails are irregular in shape, enclos- 

 ing a round or lens-shaped nucleus. They can only be demon- 

 strated by the aid of reagents, as by boiling in a 10 per cent, solu- 

 tion of soda. 



CONTEXTS OF ORAL CAVITY. 



The epithelium lining the oral cavity is of the pavement or 

 flattened variety. The cells are of large size, from 1-450 to 1-750 

 of an inch. They have usually a single nucleus, with granules de- 

 posited in the formed part. Besides these cells, the saliva will con- 

 tain a number of globular bodies, containing one or two nuclei, and 

 averaging about the 1-2500 of an inch in diameter.. They are the 

 so-called salivary corpuscles. Normally, then, the saliva contains 

 only these two kinds of cells; however, in examining the contents of 

 the oral cavity there are almost invariably found a number of 

 minute hair-like bodies, consisting of filaments of one of the algae, 

 Icptotlirix buccalis. These filaments are attached to, and grow upon 

 the cells of epithelium situated toward the back of the tongue. 

 They are found also between the teeth and in the tartar. Aside 

 from these filaments, it is quite common to find in the mouth frag- 

 ments of food, infusoria, starch granules and fat. The coatings of 

 the tongue appear to be composed of epithelial cells and mucus, 



