SECRETORY CELLS IN NORMAL MIDDLE EAR MUCOSA HISTOCHEMISTRY AND ELECTRONMICROSCOPY

A combined histochemical. and electronmicroseopie approach was used to study secretory cells in the normal middle ear mucosa in guinea-pigs and man. In the guinea-pig the following cell types could be identified: goblet cells, intermediary cells and dark granulated cells. In the human tympanic mucosa only goblet cells and intermediary cells were observed. According to their histochemical properties, goblet cells correspond to the seromucous category, while intermediary and dark granulated cells fall into the serous (non-mucous) category of Shackleford and Klapper's classification of secreting units in mammalian salivary gland. © 1969 Springer-Verlag.