Special senses

This chapter discusses the development, sampling technique, anatomy and histology of the eye and ear and associated glands of the mouse. Artefactual changes in the eye and ear are also considered. There are a number of approaches to sampling the eye and associated intraorbital glands. Ideally the eye should be sectioned in a vertical longitudinal plane through the optic nerve. The eye is prone to artefacts, which can occur due to handling of the eye in life, during dissection or during fixation and processing. The ear pinna can be examined from routinely fixed sections and is usually sectioned along its length. The external ear consists of a simple, upright flap or pinna that surrounds the external auditory meatus or ear canal and the associated Zymbal's gland. The middle ear consists of an air‐filled cavity behind the tympanic membrane, which contains the ossicles and the entrance to the auditory tube.