886 



In teased preparations it was further to be seen that many peripheral fibrils do 

 not surround the fibres in rings, but go around them in a spiral fashion. 



The fibres in question are generally bigger than normal; they branch sometimes 

 just like the other fibres ; in their neighbourhoud one often sees very thin muscle- 

 elements, which are a single time in connection with the peripheral fibrils. The 

 fibres often undergo degeneration, about which more later on. 



The nuclei are greatly swollen; they have become oval vesicules with a 

 darkly stained point in the centre and remind us sometimes of protozoa. Their 

 number has not or only a little augmented; they are situated either in the 

 circumference of the fibre or in the centre and frequently between the peripheral 

 and central fibrils. Nuclear divisions were not to be found. 



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Fig. 5. Longitudinal section of a fibre as mentioned in 



fig. 3. One sees that the circular fibrils only appear 

 in some places of the fibre, (enlargement 60). 



As mentioned above, most muscle fibres show considerable signs of dege- 

 neration : first an extensive fatty degeneration, further a change, which strikingly 

 resembles the well known "Zenker"- degeneration. 



Fig. 6. Longitudinal section of a fibre as mentioned 

 in fig. 3 more enlarged than the preceding one. One 

 sees that some longitudinal striped fibrils join the circu- 

 lar ones (formalin, ironheamatoxylin, enlargement 500). 



This change appears locally, and does not occupy the whole fibre; both the 

 longitudinal and the transverse striation get invisible so that a homogeneous mass 

 results, which afterwards is reduced to pieces and coarse corns. 



Between the homogeneous pieces in more advanced stages many round nuclei 

 appear. The contents of some fibres become liquid and get resorbed and conse- 

 quently the walls of the fibre fall together. 



The above mentioned muscle fibres with the mantle of circular fibrils seem 

 very seldom to undergo the "Zenker" degeneration. They very often show however 

 another kind of degeneration: their fibrils become thinner, lose their transverse 

 striation and are reduced to very fine threads and grains ; these grains get resorbed, 

 so that in the end a rather homogeneous mass remains, which can hardly be 



