A morphological study of the vestibular sensory epithelia in the rabbit

Surface preparations were made of the vestibular sensory end-organs of the rabbit. The total sensory cell counts and surface area measurements were made from the composite photographic reconstructions. The general topographical and cytoarchitectural arrangements were found to be similar to those previously described for guinea pigs, squirrel monkeys and humans. The sensory cell counts of the maculae are about 50% larger in the rabbit than in the guinea pig, while those of the cristae remained almost unchanged in both species of animals despite a large difference in both size and weight. The body size of the species does not seem to play a decisive role in determining the sensory cell population of the vestibular sensory end-organs. The growth of the maculae is compared with that of the cristae or vice versa seems to vary from one species to another, probably depending upon a physiological need of the species.