PREPARATION OF TENDOX. 83 



of two per cent, solution of bichromate of potash for 

 fourteen days ; then place in water for two or three 

 hours, and transfer to spirit ; in. a day or two sec- 

 tions across the direction of the fibres may be made 

 with a razor, the surface of which should be wetted 

 with spirit. The sections are to be placed in water 

 for a minute or so, and finally mounted in glycerine. 



Preparation 12. Fibrous or Tendinous Tis- 

 sue. This may be examined by separating a small 

 shred from a tendon or ligament, and teazing it out 

 as finely as possible into its constituent bundles. 

 The operation is conducted with the aid of needles, 

 the tissue being placed in a drop of salt solution, and 

 it is first examined in this, being afterwards treated 

 with dilute acetic acid and logwood (see Prep. 4). 

 But it is a troublesome matter to make the separa- 

 tion fine enough without disturbing too much the 

 arrangement of the cellular elements of the tissue. 

 Fortunately we can obtain, from the tail of the mouse 

 or rat, tendons which are, FO to speak, naturally dis- 

 sociated ; for excessively fine tendons run along the 

 whole length of the tail, and can readily be drawn 

 out, needing no further manipulation than is neces- 

 sary to place them advantageously under the micro- 

 scope. The following is the mode of procedure : 



Preparation 13. In a recently killed mouse the 

 tail is seized about half an inch from the tip between 

 the thumb nail and fore-finger of the right hand ; 

 and the delicate skin being partially nipped through 

 and the vertebral column broken at this point by the 

 pressure of the nail, it will be found quite easy, the 

 base of the tail being fixed by the left fore-finger 

 and thumb, to separate the end altogether and drag 

 it away from the remainder of the tail. In doing 

 so it will be found that the minute tendons which 

 are attached near the tip, owing to their compara- 

 tive toughness and strength, are not broken through 

 at the spot in question, but are dragged out of the 

 channels in which they run, and may in this way 

 be obtained in the form of a bundle of exquisitely 



