Stratified squamous epithelium. Light micrograph of a section through stratified squamous epithelium, showing the multiple layers, or strata, that function to resist abrasion of the surface. This is the epithelial pattern found within the epidermis of the skin, but in this image, the absence of a layer of keratin is typical of the oesophagus (gullet). Squamous cells on the surface are continuously lost by cell death and exfoliation, but are replaced by the proliferation of stem cells located at the base of the epithelium. New epithelial cells mature and slowly displace towards the surface. The connective tissue beneath the epithelium, the lamina propria, contains nerves and blood vessels. Magnification: x139, when printed 10 centimetres