LIGAMENTS. 



[ 468 ] 



LIGAMENTS. 



tissue. The fibres or fibrillai of tlie connec- 

 tive tissue are very minute, longitudinal, 

 parallel, closely connected, and pursue a 

 straight or undulatory course. Their union 

 into bundles is sometimes very indistinct, 

 and only to be shown by drying transverse 

 sections and afterwards treating them with 

 alkalies. In other instances the bundles 

 are easily recognizable, of a polygonal, 

 rounded or elongated form (fig. 400), and 

 connected by loose interstitial areolar tis- 



sue. 



The elastic tissue of tendons exists as 

 slender nuclear fibres, sometimes forming 

 rows of narrow spindle-shaped cells con- 

 nected by slender processes, at others uni- 

 form libres, or isolated spindle-shaped cells. 

 These are placed at regular distances apart, 

 between the bundles of areolar tissue. 



AVhen tendons are in contact with bones, 

 they frequently contain cartilage-cells, either 

 isolated or arranged in rows (hg. 401, c) ; 

 these sometimes undergo ossitication. 



The aponeuroses, uiscia3, and tendinous 



Fig. 401. 





\ c 



■-■ '^'A ^ "■•• --^ \-^ vv:A 

 %^1^ '^x'^'\> ^\nW \- A \\;>%^W'^\ 



J 



„. \ 





I 



,-(* 



A 



..b 





ilagnifled 300 diameters. 



Portion of the tendo AchiUis attached to the o5 calcis ; human : A, bone with lacunae a, medullary and fat-cells 6 ; 



U, tendon with llbrilla; and cartilage-cells c. 



sheaths consist of the same elements, but 

 in various proportions and differently ar- 

 ranged according to their functions, — some- 

 times the areolar libres being predominant, 

 the structure agreeing with that of teiuhm, 

 whilst at others the elastic tissue is greatly 

 developed (fig. 403). Some of these tissues 

 also contain cartilage-cells. 



The intervertebral ligaments consist of 

 fibro-cartilage, surrounded by osseous tissue ; 

 the centre is soit and containing concentric 

 cartilage-corpuscles (fig. 101, p. 135). 



Fig. 402. 



# 



Magnified 350 diameters. 



Cartilage-cells from the membranous ligament sur- 

 rounding the popliteua muscle': (7, cell with one nucleus; 

 6, cell witli two nuclei : c, cell containing one, d,, two 

 secondary. cells, the contents of both of which are more 

 consistent. 



