77-1 



SPLEEN. 



Fig. 524-. 



with some white fibrous tissue. As to the 

 lower vertebrata, I have examined a great 

 number of them with respect to this muscular 

 structure, and have found that the smallness 

 of the spleen in many of them offers a great 

 obstacle to observation ; yet I believe I have 

 verified that the spleens of the pigeon, sparrow, 

 blindworm, tench (tinea chrysitii), and trout, 

 contain muscular fibres. So, also, my friend 

 Professor Ecker, of Basle, has orally commu- 

 nicated to me that he has found very dis- 

 tinct muscular fibre in the spleens of the ray 

 and shark. 



All these muscles are, like those of the 

 fibrous coat, unstriped ; their elements consist 

 of elongated shortish fibres, each possessing 

 a long nucleus. (Fig. 523. a, Fig. 524.) In the 

 thicker partitions there are what I call " mus- 

 cular fibre-cells," either stiff, pale, flat, from 

 4 to G.lOOOths of a line broad, and 2 toS.lOOths 

 long, or more cylindrical, darker, spindle- 

 shaped, and undulating, varying from 2 to 

 S.lOOths of a line in length, and 3 to 4.1000ths 

 in breadth. In both cases they have long, 

 neat, small, staff-shaped, nuclei. In the finer 

 partitions, on the contrary, appear many 

 shorter and more spindle-shaped fibre-cells ; 

 their nuclei are elliptical or even spherical, and 

 they often project laterally from the fibres, so as 

 sometimes to render these muscular elements 

 scarcely distinguishable from the spindle- 

 shaped epithelial cells of the splenic arteries. 



The muscular elements 

 just described are seen 

 in the best and plainest 

 manner in the pig and 

 dog ; but they are also 

 readily verified in the 

 horse, ox, ass, sheep, 

 and cat, in all of which 

 they may frequently be 

 isolated. In the other 

 mammals previously 

 named, and in the rest 

 of the vertebrata, they 

 are less easily recog- 

 nised, and are scarcely 

 susceptible of isola- 

 tion ; but they can al- 

 ways be partially un- 

 covered, and in any 

 case may be demon- 



,, , strated by the applica- 



Muscitlar fibre-cells from . c . i 



the trabecula of the Pig, tlon f _,. ac f tlc a "d, 



magnified 350 diameters, which displays their 



1, without acetic acid; characteristic nuclei. 



2, with acetic acid; a, As regards the hu- 



nucleus. man subject, I find that 



in the partitions which 



are visible by the naked eye, no trace of un- 

 striped muscular fibre is present; and they 

 probably consist entirely of yellow and white 

 fibrous tissue. In the finer partitions, on 

 the contrary, elements occur to which one 

 may perchance ascribe a muscular character. 

 They are the same short fibres of a peculiar 

 kind (j%. 525. 1.), which GUnsburg* has 



* Pathologische Gewebelehre, Band. i. S. 81. 



Fig. 525. 



Peculiar structures from the human spleen, magnified 

 350 diameters. 



1, spindle-shaped fibres with a nucleus ; 2, a cell, 

 which contains such a fibre; 3, a similar cell, 

 without a fibre. 



erroneously regarded as epithelial cells of 

 the splenic veins ; otherwise they have hither- 

 to remained altogether unnoticed. They are 

 characterised by their roundish or elongated 

 oval nucleus, which is laterally disposed, and 

 often occupies a pedunculated process ; by 

 their homogeneous texture ; by their easy 

 undulatory or serpentine outline ; and, finally, 

 by their size, which offers a breadth of 15 to 

 25-1000ths, and a length of 2 to 3-100ths of a 

 line. The round nuclei of these fibre-cells, 

 even at first sight, somewhat militate against 

 their muscular import ; but it must be recol- 

 lected, that in the mammals named it has been 

 previously stated that the muscular fibre-cells, 

 which occur in the smallest partitions, deviate 

 considerably from the characteristic fibres, 

 and greatly resemble the structures now de- 

 scribed in men. On this account, and from 

 the further fact, that the above mentioned 

 human fibre-cells, in moderately fresh spleens, 

 seem to occupy the smallest partitions, just as 

 the muscular fibres in animals ; while in later 

 periods after death, or in decomposed spleens, 

 they can only be found isolated, with the pa- 

 renchyma cells, in the red pulp of the spleen, 

 I formerly considered it not too hazardous to 

 regard them as muscular fibre-cells. But more 

 recently I have made some observations which 

 have again thrown me into complete uncer- 

 tainty in respect of the import of these ques- 

 tionable structures. Thus I believe myself to 

 have verified, that these fibres occur in the 

 human subject rolled together in a kind of 

 spherical cell (fig. 525. 2,) of 5 to 7-1000ths of 

 a line in diameter ; and that, on tearing up 

 this structure they become free, and extend 

 themselves.. But, since this fact in no way 

 harmonizes with the nature of muscular fibre- 

 cells, and is besides altogether obscure and 

 incomprehensible to me, I hesitate to express 

 at once an opinion concerning the above- 

 mentioned structures in the human spleen, but 

 am desirous of calling the attention of inquirers 

 to this peculiar arrangement, which, on ac- 

 count of its constancy and frequency, is very 

 interesting 



