Pa·cin·i·an corpuscle
also Pa*ci*ni's corpuscle n : an oval capsule that terminates some sensory nerve fibers esp. in the skin of the hands and feet - see CORPUSCLE OF HERBST Pacini, Filippo (1812-1883), Italian anatomist. Pacini devoted his medical career to microscopic research. In 1831, while dissecting a hand, he observed the corpuscles around the branches of the median nerve to the digits. These corpuscles, now known as Pacinian corpuscles, had been originally described in 1741, but Pacini was the first to describe their distribution in the body, their microscopic structure, and their nerve connections. He also related the function of the corpuscles to the sensation of touch and deep pressure.
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