CACrown ArchivesThe cinema collection
Menu
Research dossier · General Reference

Moll's gland

modified apocrine sweat gland on the margin of the eyelid

Cross-disciplinary reference desk with index cards, atlas, dictionary and catalogue
General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionJul 18, 2023
Entity authorityQ6896271 ↗
Source-derived summary

Moll's gland, also known as the gland of Moll or ciliary gland, is a modified apocrine sweat gland that is found on the margin of the eyelid. They are next to the base of the eyelashes, and anterior to the meibomian glands within the distal eyelid margin. These glands are relatively large and tubular-shaped. The glands of Moll are named after Dutch oculist Jacob Anton Moll (1832–1914).

Glands of Moll empty into the adjacent lashes. Glands of Moll and Zeis secrete sebum that keeps lashes supple.

The glands of Moll are prone to infection and blockage of its duct with sebum and cell debris. Blockage of the gland's duct causes swelling which can manifest itself as a stye.

Editorial summary

The public source identifies “Moll's gland” as modified apocrine sweat gland on the margin of the eyelid. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Moll's, gland and modified.

Editorial reviewA practical starting point whose main value is the path it opens into stronger specialist and primary sources. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—1832, 1914—that can be checked directly. The selected authority fields contribute no independent date. Its value is orientation rather than verdict, with Moll's, gland and modified providing the first useful test.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Moll's gland”, the useful work is to connect “modified apocrine sweat gland on the margin of the eyelid” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 18, 2023. The linked authority identifier is Q6896271. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1832 and 1914.

Critical limits

The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Moll's gland”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Moll's gland primary sources, Moll's gland archive and Moll's research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Moll's gland”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Subject index

Search terms from this dossier

Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from “Moll's gland” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.