518 THE INTESTINAL CANAL, BY E. KLEIN AND E. VERSON. 



1. That there are some tongues which do not possess any 

 saccular glands. 



2. That the occurrence of exceedingly well-developed sacculi 

 is coincident with disease of the mucous membrane. 



3. That between these two there are intermediate conditions 

 in which it is often difficult to decide whether a slight elevation 

 of the mucous membrane of the tongue, with a duct in the 

 centre, is to be regarded as a saccular gland or not. 



He is therefore of opinion, (1) That in the healthy tongue 

 there are no saccular glands; (2) That these are swellings 

 caused by disease in the immediate vicinity of the ducts of the 

 mucous glands; and that consequently the follicles in their 

 interior are also neoplastic pathological formations. 



I am able to corroborate the statement made by Bottcher, 

 that there are some tongues in which no follicular glands are 

 present, and to add that in such cases the mucous membrane in 

 different parts and to a variable extent of the root of the 

 tongue, as well as the loose tissue of the soft palate of the 

 uvula, and of the upper pharyngeal wall, is infiltrated with 

 lymph corpuscles. These infiltrated parts are destitute of a 

 distinct limiting membrane or capsule. 



The flat lenticular elevations of the root of the tongue usually 

 present in adults are merely portions of the mucous membrane 

 in which conglobate glandular substance is imbedded. The 

 central orifice they exhibit is the entrance to a little pit which, 

 like the projections themselves, is lined with tesselated epithe- 

 lium. At the root of the tongue in the newly born infant the 

 mucous membrane presents no saccular glands. It only ex- 

 hibits here and there in the above-described ridges, between 

 which the mucous glands open, isolated small or larger groups 

 of cellular elements. These are also present at the bases of 

 the papilla of this part, and in the tissue of the mucosa. 



The foramen caecum, situated in the descending portion of 

 the tongue, though not always, and indeed, according to Boch- 



an der Zungenwurzel, " A few Observations explanatory of the nature of 

 the follicular glands at the root of the Tongue ; " Virchow's Archiv, Band 

 xviii., pp. 190 220. 



