sect. 38.] cutis. 79 



They have a parietal nucleus, which, however, is not easily rendered 

 perceptible. In lean persons, on the other hand, cells of this sort 

 are not common, and forms occur which deviate more or less from 

 the preceding, viz., I. Granular cells, containing numerous small 

 fat-drops ; these occur in whitish-yellow fat-lobules. i. Fat-cells 

 containing scrum (in small yellow, or brownish-red lobules), which, 

 together with the more or less exhausted fat, which appears in the 

 form of a single, dark-coloured globule, contain a clear fluid and 

 an evident nucleus, and are considerably smaller than the normal 

 cells — from o - oi'" to 0*015'". 3. Cells destitute of fat, and 

 containing only scrum, with a distinct nucleus and a delicate or 

 thickened membrane; these are found in the more jelly-like fat, 

 or are mixed with others ; they occur, also, in anasarca. 4. Lastly. 

 Fat-cells containing crystals; these either include, in addition to a 

 fat-drop, from one to four stellate groups of needle shaped crystals 

 (of margarin), or are entirely filled with acicular crystals. The 

 former occur among normal cells; the latter in white fat. Ac- 

 cording to Dr.Roschcr, of Norway, such crystals can be artificially 

 produced in all, or almost all, fat-cells, by drying them; and it 

 therefore is not improbable, that the crystals which are found in 

 the dead body are formed after death. Robin and Verdeil ob- 

 served that crystals of margarine were formed in the fat-globules 

 of warm milk on cooling. 



§ 38. Vessels of the Skin. — In the subcutaneous cellular tissue 

 the arteries entering the skin furnish manv small branches to the 

 hair-follicles (see below), the fat-lobules and the smooth muscles, 

 and form a network of capillaries, which is, for the most part, wide, 

 but sometimes, though more rarely, rather close in its meshes, as 

 especially in the fat-lobules. More superficially, the arteries supply 

 the sudoriparous and sebaceous glands [see infra) ; give branches, 

 but not many, to terminate in the inner or reticular part of the 

 corium; and, finally, penetrate into the most external portion of 

 the papillary layer, and into the papilla? themselves, when they end 

 in a fine and close network of capillaries. These invariably consist, 

 wherever papillae arc present, of two portions : first, of a horizontal 

 plexus lying immediately under the surface covered by the epi- 

 dermis, with wider meshes and larger vessels (from o"Oi'" to o - 05'"), 

 and also closer meshes formed of capillaries (from 0003'" to 0*005'") ; 

 and, secondly, of numerous loops of finer or coarser vessels (from 

 0.003'" *° 0004" hi most places, and, according to Meissner, from 

 0*004'" to 0.0 1", and even larger, on the sole of the foot and palm), 



