344 



SPECIAL HISTOLOGY. 



§ 102. 



Metamorphoses of the primordial cartilaginous Skeleton. Of 

 the primordial cartilages, one portion undergoes further deve- 



Fig. 129 A. 



Kblliker and nearly all their compatriots, Todd and Bowman, Leidy and Sharpey 



— follow him. As a consequence, 

 they consider the wall of the 

 cavities to represent the cellulose 

 " cell-wall" in plants ; and there 

 has been much controversy as to 

 how much of the matrix of the 

 cartilage results from the union 

 of these " cell-walls," how much 

 from the development of an inter- 

 cellular substance ; a controversy 

 which has extended itself to the 

 determination of the homologies 

 of the elements of every tissue. 

 We must confess, it seems to us 

 that the disputants have been 

 fighting for a shadow. 



If, in fact, the youngest carti- 

 lage be composed of cells with 

 distinct walls inclosing the cor- 

 puscles, of course these cells may 

 be united by an intermediate, 

 "intercellular" substance; and it 

 will be an important question to 

 determine in the further course 

 of development, what arises from 

 the walls and what from the sub- 

 stance which unites them. But 

 if. on the other hand, all this be 

 pure hypothesis ; if young carti- 

 lage be, as we have said, com- 

 posed of nothing but a continuous, homogeneous matrix, in which the corpuscles 

 are imbedded, but in which no other structure exists, what becomes of the con- 

 troversy ? 



We believe, that not merely will the account we have given, be found to be correct, 



Fig. 129 A. 1,2, cartilage from the sept ion nasi of a four-months' human foetus. 

 3, 4, 5, 6, cartilage from the extremity of the humerus in a kitten just born : 3, 4, 

 corpuscles in various stages of division ; 5, a nucleated corpuscle, free; 6, "jagged" 

 corpuscles near the ossifying surface: 7, 8, cartilage from the extremity of the tibia 

 in a young rabbit : 7, corpuscles which have rapidly divided from the middle of one 

 of the longitudinal series ; 8, nucleated corpuscle from near the ossifying surface of 

 the same series. All x 600. 



