288 FRANCIS A. HULST. 



in the general tissue detritus. In some cases there is evidently 

 a limited multiplication of the nuclei by direct division at the 

 beginning of degeneration but the products of such a division 

 pursue a course of disintegration not unlike that just described. 

 In fact no direct evidence of such a division can be here given 

 except the relatively large numbers of nuclei found in some 

 instances at an early stage of regression, and all of these come to 

 the same termination. 



Along with this degeneration and disappearance of the nuclei 

 there are changes in the contractile substance. The ensheathing 

 layer of the bundle becomes separated and often broken by the 

 increase of the granular material in which the nuclei lie. The fibers 

 become reduced to fibrillae and fragmentation and dissolution 

 follow. Often in the same material with the nuclei between the 

 outer sheath and the fibers are seen small round cells. These 

 may make their appearance before the striation of the muscles is 

 lost, but never before there is an abundance of the granular 

 material outside of the bundle and never before the nuclei are 

 hypertrophied. They have never been seen to attack the fibers. 

 They have, undoubtedly, a phagocytic function as will be shown, 

 but play a secondary part in the process, for degeneration is well 

 marked before their appearance. 



The place of origin of these small round cells is indicated by 

 such conditions as are shown in Plate X., Fig. 4. In the connective 

 tissue surrounding and lying near the muscle are found cells of 

 an elongate form, often overlooked in the fine threads. Though 

 a division of these cells has not been actually observed, a transi- 

 tion from the elongate cell lying between the fibers of connective 

 tissue, to the round cell in the granular material about the muscle 

 seems quite probable. Such cells engage themselves with the 

 ingestion and removal of the products of degeneration, about the 

 muscle bundle, and later they are seen filling the body cavity, 

 in whole or in part, much swollen with particles showing various 

 stages of degeneration. 



In other instances such phagocytes are not found at all. There 

 is a regression of the muscles to fibrillae and a limited amount of 

 the granular material is found. The muscular substance then 

 seems to disappear as if dissolved away by some chemical action. 



