122 



AREOLAR TISSUE. 



case the cytoblastema is fluid. Beneath the pus, in healing 

 wounds, lie the granulations, composed of a firm cytoblastema, 

 in which lie a quantity of cells. Henle thus describes the 

 microscopical structure of granulations : " The most superficial 

 part presents cells, which resemble the pus-granules, except that 

 their nuclei are not broken down by acetic acid ? In the 

 deeper strata, the nuclei are very distinct, and the envelopes 

 are polygonal, in consequence of mutual pressure. Wood has 

 already drawn attention to their resemblance to epithelial 

 cells. Deeper still the envelopes of the cells are found passing 

 through all the gradual transitions of the fibres of areolar 

 tissue, just as in the immature areolar tissue of the embryo. 

 The first rudiments of these fibres are the longish nucleated 

 corpuscles, which Giiterbock observed, and compared to the 

 cylindrical epithelium. Hence it follows, that the formation 

 of new cells proceeds upon the surface of the granulations, 

 and that the transformation of the latter into cellular tissue 

 (cicatrix-material, narbensubstanz) proceeds successively from 

 the bottom of the wound towards the surface/' As no gelatine 

 can be obtained from the granulations by boiling, Giiterbock 

 thought that those fibres in the granulations and exudations 

 which resemble the areolar tissue ought not to be regarded 

 as the actual fibres of that tissue, but as merely those of fibrin. 

 But, as we have seen above, the entire areolar tissue of the foetus 

 also does not afford any gelatinizing gelatine ; and since Henle 

 observed a similar course of development in these fibres to 

 that which I had pointed out in the areolar tissue of the 

 foetus, we must regard them as the young fibres of that 

 tissue (although they may differ from the mature tissue in 

 their chemical qualities), and the granulations as nothing more 

 than a primitive formation of areolar tissue. 



A formation of areolar tissue similar to that in the foetus 

 takes place also in exudations resulting from inflammation. 

 R. Froriep (Klin. Kupfertafeln, lite Lief. Weimar, 1837, 

 Th. lxi) had already observed that irregular granules, some of 

 which seemed to be extended on one or both sides into thin 

 fibres, existed in the exudation of pericarditis, in addition to 

 the fibres resembling areolar tissue. " These elongated gra- 

 nules of fibrin/' he continues, " seem to be the commencements 

 of the formation of the new mass of tissue, that is, the rudi- 





