78 DR. BEALE, ON THE TISSUES. 



tlie important tissue lies completely liidden and embedded in it ; 

 while in young small animals, as in the young white mouse, it 

 is in some situations not to be demonstrated. As the animal 

 advances in age, however, this tissue appears. Delicate fibres 

 of connective tissue are found in immediate continuity with 

 some of the finer branches of the nerves as has been already 

 mentioned. 



Upon the externa.1 surface of a nerve trunk there is often a 

 considerable quantity of fibrous tissue, which is in connection 

 with, or at any rate adheres to, the nerves. It seems as if 

 this had resulted from the development of masses of germinal 

 matter similar to those which produce the nerves. The truth 

 seems to be, that germinal matter, which in the normal state 

 would produce a high tissue like muscle or nerve, may, under 

 other circumstances, give rise to the formation of a degraded 

 structure, not possessing the high endowments characteristic 

 of these tissues, and assuming the form of the simplest and 

 lowest normal textures. 



The following specimens were then passed round : 

 Nerves in the skin of the mouse. — Preparation 53 is the skin 

 of the white mouse, seen from below. The bulbs of the hair 

 and the sebaceous follicles arranged in rows are very promi- 

 nent objects, and between them and around them in every part 

 of the specimen are seen small arteries, veins, capillaries, and 

 bundles of nerve fibres. As you alter the focus you see nerve 

 fibres at every plane ; several may be traced to the hair bulbs 

 which they encircle. A nervous plexus of the most intricate cha- 

 racter, in which it is possible to follow an individual fibre for 

 a considerable distance, is seen in this preparation. As the 

 magnifying power is increased a greater number of fibres 

 come into view. Connected with the capillaries, arteries, 

 and veins, are numerous oval nuclei, and nuclei much re- 

 sembling them are seen at very short intervals along the 

 nerve fibres. Nuclei connected with fat vesicles are also 

 observed. Besides, there are some small spherical bodies, 

 which I believe are either white blood corpuscles in the 

 capillaries or lymph corpuscles. In the crowd of nuclei all 

 the above can be recognised, but besides them there are also 

 nuclei in connection with the fibrous tissue of the true skin. 

 Of all these separate masses of germinal matter, or nuclei, 

 those connected with nerve fibres and capillaries can be readily 

 distinguished. These alone form lines which branch, the 

 branching being of a different character in the nerves and 

 capillaries. In some parts of the specimen the capillaries 

 are injected, and the nuclei in their walls can be most positively 

 distinguished from those connected with the nerves. The 



