526 EDWARD B. MEIGS 



THE CHANGES OF WEIGHT UNDERGONE BY CONNECTIVE TISSUE 

 IN VARIOUS SOLUTIONS 



The changes of weight undergone by connective tissue in cer- 

 tain solutions has been studied for the purpose of having the reac- 

 tions of a third tissue to compare with those of striated and 

 smooth muscle. 



Connective tissue gains weight in Ringer's solution and to 

 about the same extent as does smooth muscle. In three experi- 

 ments in which bull-frogs' tendons were left for from seventeen 

 to twentj^-'four hours in Ringer's solution at temperatures between 

 18° and 22°C. the average maximum gain in weight was 20.2 

 per cent, the smallest gain being 14.6 per cent and the largest 23.1 

 per cent. In figure 18 the curve of gain in weight of one of these 

 pieces of tendon is compared with that which was obtained in one 

 of the experiments on stomach muscle. The curve of gain in 

 weight of the smooth muscle is somewhat more irregular than that 

 of the tendon but has otherwise very much the sanae character. 

 It is easy to understand that the swelHng in the case of the smooth 

 muscle might be more or less irregular when one remembers how 

 marked an effect small quantities of lactic acid have on the swell- 

 ing of this tissue. The smooth muscle remained highly irritable 

 through the whole course of the experiment recorded in figure 18, 

 and it is not at all an improbable supposition that the course of 

 the swelhng was modified bj^ the production of metabolites by 

 the muscle. 



Temperature has an influence on the swelling of tendon in 

 Ringer's solution more or less hke that which it has in the case of 

 smooth muscle. Figure 19 gives the swelling curves of two pieces 

 of tendon from the same frog kept in Ringer's solution at room 

 temperature and at between 0° and 1° respectively. It will be 

 seen that the swelhng of the tendon is considerabty slowed by 

 cold. If, however, figure 19 be compared with figure 2 which 

 gives the results of a similar experiment on smooth muscle, it 

 will be seen that the effect of cold on the swelling of tendon differs 

 considerably from that which it has on the swelhng of muscle. 

 The effect of cold on the tendon is much less marked, and at 



