n :  any of the small elliptical tactile end organs in hairless skin containing numerous transversely placed tactile cells and fine flattened nerve terminations - called also corpuscle of Meissner 
 
Meissner, Georg (1829-1905), German anatomist and physiologist. Meissner conducted in 1851 intensive comparative microscopic investigations on the fibers and cells of the common trunk of the vestibular and cochlear nerves. In 1852 he studied the tactile corpuscles of the skin which now bear his name. He published several other papers dealing chiefly with the problems of microscopy, particularly those relating to the skin. In 1857 he published a description of the nerve plexus in the submucosa of the intestinal wall.
 
 
 
Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated.  © 1997-2024.