248 DR. BEALE, ON THE TISSUES. 



ally diminislies^ and in tlie hardened scales which are about 

 to be cast off not a trace can be shown to exist by soaking 

 in carmine. 



The rapidity of division of the germinal matter near the 

 nutrient surface, and the formation of new elementary parts, 

 is especially influenced by the amount of nutrient matter 

 present. 



Tlie next preparation shown was a thin section of the 

 tongue of a foetus at the seventh month. The arrangement 

 of the muscular fibres is well seen, and the papillae are 

 already developed as little, simple elevations from the general 

 surface. All the tissues consist prii^cipally of germinal 

 matter, and in every part of the specimen the number of 

 these masses coloured by carmine is remarkable. The inter- 

 val betAveen the mucous membrane and the point of insertion 

 of the muscular fibres corresponds to the corium and sub- 

 mucous tissue of the adult tongue. It is occupied entirely 

 by oval nuclei, many of which are observed to be in lines, 

 and these can be shown to be connected with the capillary 

 vessels and nerves. No fibrous appearance whatever exists, 

 and the quantity of formed material existing in connection 

 with the germinal matter is very small. 



This specimen of the tongue of a foetus at the seventh 

 month was contrasted with No. 19, which was a coiTCspond- 

 ing section from the tongue of a child ten years of age. 

 Both were under the same magnifying power. In the first, 

 eight papillae, with the submucous tissue, could be seen in the 

 field at once, as well as many bundles of muscular fibres. 

 In the other specimen, three papillae only, and a layer of 

 submucous tissue and corium five or six times thicker than 

 that in the foetal tongue were to be seen. The field was 

 only large enough to take in just the pointed insertions of 

 the muscular fibres, although the epithelium had been en- 

 tirely removed, which greatly diminished the thickness of 

 the specimen. The masses of germinal matter were numerous 

 in the simple papillae, of which the three large ones in the 

 field were composed ; but in the base of the large papillae, 

 and throughout the corium, a number of transparent spaces 

 or areolae were observed, which were bounded by lines of small, 

 oval particles of germinal matter, the so-called nucki of the 

 areolar tissue. The space which looked so transparent was 

 occupied by a tissue which possessed a fibrous appearance, 

 which was firm and unyielding, and which yielded gelatine 

 by boiling. The whole of this tissue was generally called 

 connective or areolar tissue, or " bindegewebe," and those 

 nuclei which were seen bounding the transparent spaces have 



