216 HERBERT WATNEY. 



arterial character of the minute arterial capillaries, even 

 where there are no involuntary muscle-fibres surrounding the 

 vessel. 



The author concludes the anatomical part of this chapter 

 by asserting that he has demonstrated that there is every- 

 where a reticulum holding all the elements of the mucosa in 

 its meshes; hejlnds that the reticulum must he considered 

 not only as a network of threads, hut as forming, at any rate 

 in some places, memhranous investments. 



The next part of the chapter is an attempt to prove the 

 second part of the proposition, namely, that it is by the reti- 

 culum that fat is absorbed. First, as regards absorption by 

 the reticulum among the epithelial cells, it is found that in 

 horizontal sections of the epithelium, or in teased prepara- 

 tions where the epithelium is separated en masse from the 

 rest of the tissue, fat-granules are arranged in lines between 

 the epithelial cells (see fig. 4) in preparations where the 

 epithelium is cut vertically ; although the appearances are 

 not quite so satisfactory, yet lines are seen between the epi- 

 thelial cells. If the separate epithelial cells are viewed in 

 teased preparations they are found apparently to contain 

 fat, but this is explained by the fact that the reticulum 

 always breaks off with the epithelium, and that the fat is 

 really in the reticulum, and not in the epithelial cells. 

 The following conclusion is therefore drawn : 

 From the foregoing observations there is proof that the fat 

 travels hy the reticulum hetween the epithelial cells, hut there 

 is no decisive evidence that fat-granules are absorbed hy the 

 epithelial cells. 



The fact that in the villus the reticulum filled with small 

 fat-granules is so similar to that seen in preparations hard- 

 ened in chromic acid (compare fig. 3 and fig. 5), sustains 

 the following conclusion : 



The fat travels hy the reticulum which is found everywhere 

 among the other elements of the mucosa. 



The only difference in the two appearances in figs. 3 and 

 5 is that the reticulum is broader in fig. 3 ; this is always 

 the case in preparations which have been hardened in 

 Miiller's fluid and osmic acid (see figs. 8 and 9). 



Then some space is occupied by an attempt to give all the 

 situations in which the reticulum has been seen, with the 

 various properties which have been ascribed to it ; the author 

 considers that it was a similar reticulum which was seen in 

 the salivary glands and pancreas among the epithelial cells 

 and described as nervous tissue by Reich and Pfliiger, as 

 connective tissue by Boll, as intercellular capillaries by 



