SECT. 88.] OSSEOUS SYSTEM. 165 



in the muscles of small mammalia, in the cutaneous muscle on the thorax of 

 the frog, with and without the addition of caustic soda. The perimysium, and 

 the form and position of the muscular fibres, are very beautifully exhibited 

 in transverse sections of half dried muscles. The same remark applies to the 

 elementary tissues of the tendons. The attachments of the latter to the 

 bones and their cartilage-cells in such places — in the tendo Achillis, for 

 example — are readily seen in perpendicular sections of dried preparations. 

 Respecting their relation to the muscular fasciculi, see § 81. For the 

 investigation of the cartilage-cells in the tendons, horizontal sections are 

 made at the surface, and treated with acetic acid or very diluted caustic 

 soda. For the study of the development of muscle, the naked amphibia are, 

 above all, to be recommended, the mammalia being not so well adapted for 

 the purpose. 



Literature. — In addition to the treatises cited in § 3 o, the following may 

 be consulted. H. R. Ficinus, de Fibree muscularis Forma et Structura Diss., 

 inav/j. Lipsife, 1836, 4, cum tab. Ed. Weber, in R. Wagner's Handwih'terb. 

 der Phys., Bd. iii., 2 Abth., 1846. Dobie, in Ann. of Nut. Hist., 2 Ser. iii., 

 1849. Lebert, in Ann. d. Se. X., 1850, p. 205. Aubert, in Zeitschr.f. Wiss. 

 Zool, iv. p. 388. Stannius, in G'utt. Nachr., 1852, No. 17; and Zeitschr.f. 

 Wiss. Zool, iv., fig. 252. Doxders, in Ned. Lancet, 3 Ser. i., Jahrg., p. 556. 

 Gairdxer and Barlow, in Monthly Journal, 1853, pp. 278, 872. Ecker, Icon. 

 Phys., Tab. xii. Funke, Atlas der Phys. Chem., Tab. x. Kolliker, Zeitschr. 

 f. Wiss. Zool, Bd. viii. ix. Savory, in Phil Transact., 1S56. A. Rollet, in 

 iV.c. of the Acad, of Vienna, 1856. 



Of the Osseous System. 



§ 88. The osseous system consists of a numerous collection of 

 hard organs, the bones (ossa) having a peculiar, uniform structure, 

 which, either directly, or by means of other parts, as cartilages, 

 ligaments, or articular capsules, are united to form a connected 

 ■whole — the osseous framework, or skeleton. 



In man, the osseous tissue exists in two forms, compact and 

 spongy. The former is solid only in appearance ; for even with the 

 naked eye, fine canals may be seen penetrating it in various 

 directions, and many still finer are discovered by microscopical 

 examination. These vascular or Haversian canals (' medullary 

 canals' of authors) may be said to be almost wholly absent in 

 the spongy substance, being there represented by wider, rounded, 

 or elongated spaces filled with marrow (in some bones with veins 

 and nerves [cochlea] ). These are called medullary spaces, or 

 medullary cells (cancelli, cellulce medullares), and are visible without 

 the aid of magnifying powers. They all communicate with each 

 other, and are surrounded by a small quantity of osseous tissue, 

 which, assuming the form of fibres, laminae, and trabecular, is so 



