The Mammalian End-Organ in Oral Tissue of the Cat

¹ Section of Dermatology, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota

An investigation of the mammalian end-organ in the oral tissue of the cat has revealed that it is possible to study the distribution and number of such end-organs by means of cholinesterase techniques and alkaline-phosphatase techniques. The end-organs are found evenly distributed over the gingival surfaces, except for the lingual gingiva along the hard palate. In this region the gingiva reflects concentrations of end-organs related to the rugae. Concentrations of mammalian end-organs occur in the rugae of the hard palate. In the sulcus behind the lips and behind the teeth, end-organs are numerous. They are frequent at the tip of the tongue and are absent in the posterior portions of the tongue.