Nerve fibers invaded the graft from the liver and after 30 days normal appearing taste buds were found only in implants of tongue which contained extensive nerve fibers. Thus it appears that certain visceral nerves can maintain and possibly induce taste bud formation in implants of tongue.

The human skeleton is made up of 206 bones, including bones of the:

• Skull – including the jaw bone.
• Spine – cervical, thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, sacrum and tailbone (coccyx)
• Chest – ribs and breastbone (sternum)
• Arms – shoulder blade (scapula), collar bone (clavicle), humerus, radius and ulna.

“Tongue” seems to be pronounced in one of two ways, both in Britain and N America. There are those who, like myself pronounce it with an “o” sound- tong, and those that pronouce it with a “u” sound- tung.

The world’s first human tongue transplant has been successfully carried out by doctors in Austria. Surgeons at Vienna’s General Hospital carried out the 14-hour operation on a 42-year-old patient on Saturday. The patient had a malignant tumour in his mouth that meant his tongue had to be removed.

Two prosthetic tongues can be made, one for phonetics and the other for swallowing. The tongue made for phonetics is somewhat flat, with a slightly wide anterior elevation to aid in articulation of linguo-alveolar sounds ‘t’ and ‘d’ and to aid in shaping the oral cavity for improved vowel production.

The tongue is made up of a number of individual muscles that aid in positioning it while chewing or speaking. The upper ‘skin’ surface of the tongue contains the taste buds. Taste buds cover the surface of small, nipple-like projections called, papillae, which are easily visible.

If your tongue is peeling, it could be the result of damage to your tongue’s surface. It also might indicate an underlying condition such as oral thrush or geographic tongue. It could also be canker sores.

Taste buds go through a life cycle where they grow from basal cells into taste cells and then die and are sloughed away. According to Dr. Bartoshuk, their normal life cycle is anywhere from 10 days to two weeks. However, “burning your tongue on hot foods can also kill taste buds,” she says.

Bacteria, fungi, dirt, food, and dead cells can all get trapped between the enlarged papillae. This collected debris is what turns your tongue white. All of these conditions can cause white tongue: poor brushing and flossing.

When you bite your cheek, lips or tongue, you create a small wound that usually heals quickly. This healing process, though, can be interrupted if you bite the area again, which can then cause excess scar tissue to form. The fibrous scar tissue, made up of a protein called collagen, is similar to a callous.