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THE EXAMEL ORGAN. 65
and fish, and even in mammalia it disappears prior to the completion of
the enamel. It has been supposed to have no more important function
than to till up the space subsequently taken up by the growing tooth.
Kolliker does not agree with this. He states that the stellate reticulum
is certainly of great imjxirtance in the building up of enamel, and,
owing to its richness in albumin and the gelatinous mass in its meshes,
is, figuratively speaking, a pantry from which the enamel membrane (the
ameloblasts) derives the material for its growth,—being some distance
from blood-vessels.
The cells of the stellate reticulum are characterized by the great
length of their communicating processes. Dr. Sudduth thinks that

Fig. 46.

.V

Section of jaw, embryo of sheep, showiug development of dentin germ : 1, layer (portion of) of
ameloblasts ; 2, external epithelium of enamel organ (most of the stellate reticulum has been
washed out) ; 3, enamel organ of permanent tooth ; 4, dentin germ ; 5, whorls of epithelial
cells caused by breaking up of neck or cord of enamel organ ; 6, part of stellate reticulum.
this appearance is largely due to shrinkage. He says : " I fully believe
that if we could examine these cells at once before any shrinkage occurs,
we should be able to prove the fact that in life they are not stellate but
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