84 THE CELL DOCTRINE. 



bands of gently waving fibrous tissue, or tissue ex- 

 hibiting a fibrous appearance, at varying intervals in 

 which are noted nuclear masses of germinal matter, 

 which have assumed the tint of carmine. Or, if di- 

 lute acetic acid be added to the specimen, the fibrous 

 appearance will at once become homogeneous, while 

 the nuclei will be rendered distinct, and clearly visi- 

 ble. In young tendon (Plate, Figure 11), the masses 

 of germinal matter will be found very abundant, and 

 the intercellular fibrous substance in smaller quan- 

 tity than in old tendon where the masses of germinal 

 matter occur only at long intervals. These masses of 

 germinal matter, or connective tissue corpuscles, it 

 will be recollected, are considered by Virchow as 

 perfect cells, presenting cell wall, cell contents, and 

 nucleus, and the fibrous intercellular substance as a 

 subsequent modification of a homogeneous matrix, 

 dropped between the cell by the bloodvessels. These 

 connective tissue corpuscles are regarded by Beale 

 as simple masses of germinal matter, the conversion 

 of which into formed material produces the fibrous 

 intercellular substance, as seen in Figure 11, Plate, 

 and between which and the intercellular substance 

 immediately adjoining, there is no line of separation, 

 constituting a cell wall. 



As the tendon grows older, the masses of germinal 

 matter become less abundant, because a larger num- 

 ber have been totally converted into formed material; 

 and the bands of indestructible material which some- 

 times join them, and which are considered by Virchow 

 as a part of his canalicular system, are, according to 

 Beale, nothing but imperfectly converted formed material, 



