SPLANC1 



of a number of small spaces or areolae, formed by the trabeculse; in these areolse is contained 

 the splenic pulp. 



The fibroelastic coat, the sheaths of the vessels, and the trabeculse, are composed of white and 

 yellow elastic fibrous tissues, the latter predominating. It is owing to the presence of the elastic 

 tissue that the spleen possesses a considerable amount of elasticity, which allows of the very 

 great variations in size that it presents under certain circumstances. In addition to t 





FIG. 1189. Transverse section of the spleen, showing the trabecular tissue and the splenic vein and its tributaries. 



constituents of this tunic, there is found in man a small amount of non-striped muscular fiber; 

 and in some mammalia, e. g., dog, pig, and cat, a large amount, so that the trabeculse appear 

 to consist chiefly of muscular tissue. 



The splenic pulp (pulpa lienis) is a soft mass of a dark reddish-brown color, resembling grumous 

 blood; it consists of a fine reticulum of fibers, continuous with those of the trabeculse, to which 

 are applied flat, branching cells. The meshes of the reticulum are filled with blood, in which, 



FIG. 1190. Transverse section of the human spleen, showing the distribution of the splenic artery and its branches. 



however, the white corpuscles are found to be in larger proportion than they are in ordinary 

 blood. Large rounded cells, termed splenic cells, are also seen; these are capable of ameboid 

 movement, and often contain pigment and red-blood corpuscles in their interior. The cells of 

 the reticulum each possess a round or oval nucleus, and like the splenic cells, they may contain 

 pigment granules in their cytoplasm; they do not stain deeply with carmine, and in this respect 

 differ from the cells of the Malpighian bodies. In the young spleen, giant cells may also be found. 



