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Definition

Meissner, Georg

(mīs'nĕr)

Ger. anatomist and physiologist, 1829–1905.

M. corpuscle

(mīs'nĕr )

A sensory end-organ in which the bare tips of 1–4 sensory axons spiral inside a sphere of ordered epithelial cells. The corpuscle is covered with a capsule that is continuous with the sheaths of the innervating axons. Meissner's corpuscles are found inside the papillary ridges (which underlie the epidermal ridges of fingerprints) of the skin of the volar surfaces. They are also found on other hairless skin, e.g., lips, eyelids, and the tip of the tongue. The corpuscles are receptors for tactile discrimination.

M. plexus An autonomic plexus in the submucosa of the alimentary tube that regulates secretions of the mucosa.