Lab 2 (ƒ4) - External and Internal Anatomy of the Spinal Cord
Meissner's Corpuscle
In figures 1 and 3 the skin is stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The encapsulated lamellar (epithelial) cells of the Meissner corpuscle are colored blue (nuclei) and pink (cytoplasm). Notice that within the corpuscle, the nuclei of the lamellar cells are aligned - illustrating that these flattened cells form a column - like a stack of pancakes. Notice that the Meissner corpuscles are located near the skin surface in the papillary ridges of nonhairy skin (e.g., in the fingertips, lips). Notice also that the corpuscles are oriented with their long axis perpendicular to the surface of the skin.
In figure 2 the 1° afferent terminal fiber can be seen twisting and turning as it passes between the lamellar cells.