Binocular Dissecting Microscopic Studies on the Density of Toruli Tactile in the La Mancha Goat

The Merkel cells and associated nervous terminal plates have been called toruli tactiles (TT). These structures can be ubiquitously seen on the shaved hairy skin after staining with a methylene blue solution. Four La Mancha goats of both sexes were examined for the density of TT. TT were visually located under a binocular dissecting microscopic (14x) and then the number of TT in the field was directly counted. The density of TT in different corporal areas of the body surface was estimated from the mean of several two-cm square samples of skin. The results obtained are as follows: The mean number per two-cm square on the whole body surface ranged from 10.06-11.36 in the male specimen and from 12.98-14.32 in the female specimen. The density of TT was rather high in the temporal and buccal areas, on the neck, chin and cranial breast, and on the lateral surface of the arm, thigh and leg. Density was moderate in the fronto-parieto-occipital area (female), on the loin and buttocks, in the upper costal, lower caudo-costal, xiphoid-umbilical and umbilical-pubic areas, and on the lateral surface of the forearm. TT were absent or very few in number on the nose and chin, the scrotum, caudal-pubic area of males, the udder, the vulva, and the digitorum manus et pedis.