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This study was undertaken to develop a functional model of otitis media with effusion (OME) in the pig (Sus scrofa), with the purpose of investigating the origin of lymphocytes populating the middle ear during the course of an inflammatory process. The relevance of the model to the human condition of OME is to a large extent dependent on the anatomical and physiological similarities between the middle ear cavity and the pharyngeal lymphoid tissue of the pig and man. Anatomical specimens were collected from 7 young Large White pigs to determine the gross anatomy of the middle ear cavity and the histological characteristics of the middle ear mucosa. It was found that the anatomy of the 3 parts of the middle ear cavity in man and in the pig is broadly similar, although some minor differences were observed. The porcine eustachian tube was seen to be cartilaginous throughout its length in contrast to the part osseous, part cartilaginous structure found in man ; the porcine ossicles were slightly different in shape to those of man and the air cell system was situated inferior to the tympanic cavity in the pig as opposed to posteriorly in man. This paper describes the structure and morphology of the pig middle ear cavity and compares and contrasts it with that of man. The minor differences observed are of anatomical importance but do not diminish the usefulness of the pig middle ear cleft as a potential model for human middle ear disorders.Key words : Otitis media. The pig offers a number of advantages as a model for human pathological processes in that it is omnivorous and many elements of both its anatomy and physiology are similar to those of the human. A large number of monoclonal antibodies have been developed against a variety of pig antigens in recent years, and there is increasing interest in the development of the pig as a xenotransplantation donor for man. These factors taken together mean that the pig is potentially a good model in which to study the immunological processes involved in middle ear inflammation. More specifically, for the purposes of our future studies on lymphocyte homing it is of particular importance that the pig has a full complement of the pharyngeal lymphoid aggregates which constitute Waldeyer's ring in the human. Studies of lymphocyte homing into inflamed middle ear mucosa have been carried out in a number of laboratory Correspondence to Mr J. P. Pracy,

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