FIBROUS TISSUE. 123 



ments of the newly-forming cylindrical fibres of the areolar 

 tissue composing the proper false membranes, or substance of 

 the cicatrix." Thus Froriep had already observed the gene- 

 ration of fibres, resembling those of areolar tissue, by the elon- 

 gation of corpuscles ; what he here calls fibrine globules, arc, 

 no doubt, the nucleated fibre cells becoming elongated into 

 fibres. Henle examined the exudation by which wounds 

 that heal by the first intention are closed, and found, that, 

 in this also, cells are formed which undergo transformation 

 into fibres of areolar tissue by an elongation of their envelope, 

 just as in the foetus. He thence concludes, that the formation 

 of exudations and granulations are essentially similar processes. 

 The exudation-globules (exsudatkugeln) discovered by Valentin, 

 and described also by Gluge, which, according to the former, 

 occur in every form of exudation, are, he says, allied to pus- 

 corpuscles ; and Henle also found that their nuclei are like- 

 wise broken down by the action of acetic acid. 



Suppuration, therefore, differs from exudation and granula- 

 tion only in this circumstance, that a more fluid cytoblastema 

 is formed, in which fewer perfect cells are developed. It 

 represents an intermediate stage between the formation of the 

 firm tissues and the true function of secretion ; between which 

 two processes again no essential difference exists. 



2. Fibrous Tissue. The fibres of tendons and those of 

 areolar tissue, differing but little from each other, and it 

 being impossible to define precisely the respective limits of 

 the two structures in the perfectly developed condition, we 

 accordingly find that they agree in their mode of origin. 

 Cells, resembling the fibre-cells of areolar tissue, are found 

 in the tendons of the foetus at a very early age. They 

 are arranged with their long axis corresponding to that 

 of the tendon, and are prolonged in two opposite directions 

 into fibres, which again subdivide into more minute ones. 

 (See plate III, fig. 11.) These cells split into fibres pre- 

 cisely in the same way as those of areolar tissue ; they have a 

 nucleus similar 'to theirs in shape, which remains for a period, 

 but is at last absorbed, leaving nothing but the fasciculus of 

 fibres persistent. All these processes, however, take place 

 much earlier in fibrous tissue than in the areolar, so that, 



