Contributions to the macroscopic anatomy of the glomera coccygica in man.

Since the discovery of the glomera coccygica in man by Luschka in 1859, a number of papers were published dealing with the anatomy of this peculiar organ. However, most of these research works are concerned with the microscopic structure of the coccygeal bodies. The knowledge in its macroscopic anatomy has made scarcely any progress ever since the classical reports of Luschk a. Some years ago, my teacher, Dr. Fujita wrote a paper proposing a surgical agression to the glomera. Because of the similar histological structure of this organ with that of the carotid body, the operative removal of which had become popular in our country as a remedy for bronchial asthma, spontaneous gangrene and so forth, simultaneous resection of the coccygeal bodies was suggested by Fuji it a. In order to reply to the demand from the surgical side as well as to supply biologists with morphological data, I studied the coccygeal bodies chiefly from the standpoint of gross anatomy and topographical viewpoints. Dissection was carried out with the ordinary method using sharp forceps and scalpel. It is, however, not easy for beginners. Skillful hands and preparatory exercises are needed. In my research work, more than twenty cases dissected in the beginning were discarded, so that any incorrect datum could be eliminated from the statistical results. The material originated mostly from cadavers under fixation used in the dissection room for medical students; partly, however, from fresh bodies in the Medical Examination Office. In fixed material the arterial