Click on images for full-size photographs
 |
 |
 |
 |
The tongue is attached at its caudal side and is free at its cranial side. The ventral and lateral surfaces of the tongue are smooth, whereas its dorsal surface is rough due to the presence of keratinized papillae. Taste buds may occur within these papillae (in Chapter 10. Sense Organs, taste buds are depicted in detail). The tongue consists of skeletal muscle, a lamina propria containing connective tissue and minor salivary glands, and stratified squamous epithelium. On the dorsal surface of the posterior tongue are the elevated median intermolar eminence and the postmolar vallate papilla.
The 4X micrograph shows the rough dorsal surface as well as the mucous and serous glands present in the posterior tongue. The 10X micrograph displays these glands in more detail, while the 20X and 40X micrographs present one of the mucous glands and its duct and opening. In The 40X micrograph also shows the layers of the stratified squamous epithelium.
© 2004 Texas Histopages. All rights reserved.