OF THE SKIN. LIS 



or being completely filled with crystalline needles. The former 

 occur amoug other normal cells, the latter only in the white, 

 more isolated, fat-lobules. 



[The nuclei in the fat-cells of the adult have not, as far as 

 I am aware, yet been observed, excepting by Bendz (Almind. 

 'Anat.' p. 122, tab. I, fig. 4), who rarely, very rarely, noticed 

 even two pale nuclei with nucleoli. It is true that Mulder 

 (p. 601), states that they arc furnished with one, rarely with two, 

 nuclei, but Donders and Moleschott (ib., p. 602, et seq.) upon 

 whom Mulder appears principally to rely, expressly say that 

 they did not detect the nuclei ; nor does Donders (in the 

 ' Holland. Beitr./ I, pp. 57, 61), say anything about nuclei. I 

 invariably find them when the fat has partially disappeared 

 from the cell. In cells completely filled, I first distinctly 

 noticed them, in some cases, in the marrow, and in the fat 

 cells in the muscles ; but I do not hesitate in the least to affirm 

 their constant occurrence in all fat-cells, since no one can 

 suppose that they are not formed until after the disappearance 

 of the fatty contents. With respect to what Donders and 

 Moleschott observe, as to the existence of two membranes in 

 the fat-cells, the outer of which is said to be soluble in con- 

 centrated acetic acid, and in potass, and the inner not ; the 

 former, as Donders himself elsewhere supposes, can be re- 

 garded merely as connective tissue, which, in many instances, 

 also penetrates between the separate cells and connects them 

 together, or, probably, is occasionally replaced by a homoge- 

 neous connective substance (modified cytoblastema). The 

 crystals in the fat cells are considered by Vogel to be margarin. 

 As the forms of margarin and margaric acid are very similar, 

 the question can be decided only on chemical grounds, and 

 these appear to favour the latter. 



The pathological conditions of the fat-cells, although as yet 

 but little investigated, corroborate my assertion of the constant 

 occurrence of the nucleus. Without relying upon Schwann's 

 observation, that the fat-cells of the subcutaneous cellular 

 tissue of a rachitic child a year old, all contained a nucleus, I 

 would more particularly adduce the condition of the fat-cells in 

 cutaneous dropsy. In this affection, as long as the fat in the 

 panniculus adiposus has not entirely disappeared, cells con- 



