Abstract
The temporal bone from the fetal and adult mouse and brain from fetal and adult rat were cryosectioned in a conventional cryostat at −30° C using 16 μm thick sections. The elemental composition was analyzed in the fluid-filled spaces of the membraneous labyrinth and ventricular cavities of the brain. After drying these spaces contained small crystal-like aggregations of material which morphologically differed depending on their elemental composition. This changed during embryonic maturation. The qualitative X-ray analytical microscopy seems to be a reliable method to follow changes in the elemental composition of fluids.