54 THE EXTERNAL AND MIDDLE EAR, BY J. KESSEL. 



bodies we may recognize on the one Land a central axial band, 

 and on the other a series of capsules arranged concentrically 

 round it. The axial band appears in the form of a smooth 

 round cord, which, after running; free for a variable distance, 

 enters at one pole of the lemon-shaped body, and emerges again 

 at the opposite, to expand immediately in a fan-like manner 

 in the above-described foraminated membrane of the mucous 

 membrane. Without the addition of coloured substances, this 

 shows an extremely fine fibrillar structure, with a cloudy finely 

 granular material between the fibrils ; but if it be treated with 

 solutions of silver or gold, it becomes more deeply tinted than 

 the tissues of the capsules. The capsules arranged concentri- 

 cally around the axial band have likewise a fibrillar structure. 

 Between the several capsular layers are spaces which either 

 appear homogeneous or are filled with fusiform elements. The 

 margins of the spaces are frequently covered with a finely 

 granular cloudy material. The outermost of the capsules often 

 presents a regularly wavy course, and possesses a delicate pave- 

 ment epithelium on its external surface. At one pole of the body 

 this capsule forms a circular highly refractile ring, which leads 

 into a funnel-shaped depression occupied by the axial band at 

 its point of entry ; at the other pole the capsule is continued 

 upon the axial band as it emerges. The description just given 

 corresponds to the simpler types of the bodies, which, apart 

 from the structure of the axial band, present the appearance 

 of a Vater's corpuscle. But other forms are also met with ; 

 a structure of similar character may be so constructed as to 

 present a figure of 8, whilst it may either be .straight or bent 

 at an angle. In both cases it gives the impression of two of 

 the above-described bodies being so connected together that 

 the two capsules are continuous with one another at the 

 point of union. In other instances, again, we may see the 

 axial band divide into several branches after its emergence, 

 which may again bear other smaller corpuscles of the same kind. 

 Fig. 285 is an illustration of a body of this kind, which I 

 found stretched between the base of the stapes and the band 

 proceeding from the eminentia pyramidalis. These organs, as 

 we shall hereafter see, occur also in the mucous membrane 

 lining the mastoid cells, but never attain so remarkable a size 



