258 SKELETON. 



is the. centre of the circulation, and the brain of nervous ener- 

 gy.; not that he thought the periosteum radiated its influence 

 on all its dependent organs, but because anatomical inspection 

 demonstrated all the fibrous organs to be connected with it, and 

 communicating through it with each other. The late Profes- 

 sor Bonn, of Amsterdam, reversed the idea of Bichat, and con- 

 sidered the aponeuroses of the extremities, and of the trunk, 

 which send their partitions between the muscles, and down to 

 the periosteum and joints, as the much desired centre of the 

 desmoid system. The latter idea has been reiterated by 

 others, and the supposed emanations from the superficial apo- 

 neurcses diligently traced. As means of studying the position 

 and connexions of parts, notwithstanding the construction is a 

 very forced one, which makes desrnoid tissue cellular mem- 

 brane, and cellular membrane desmoid tissue, alternately, so 

 as to suit the arrangement of the anatomists, instead of that of 

 nature; yet, any or all of these plans have their use, and may 

 be followed advantageously, after the study at large of the hu- 

 man fabric. 



The desmoid tissue is essentially fibrous, but without a uni- 

 form arrangement, as its fibres are either parallel, crossed, or 

 mixed. In some places the fibres are very compact, and sepa- 

 rate with difficulty, but generally prolonged maceration will 

 cause them to part into filaments as fine as the thread of the 

 silk-worm. Anatomists differ in regard to the ultimate struc- 

 ture of these fibres. By M. Chaussier they are thought to be 

 primitive and peculiar; Mascagni* supposed that they were 

 lymphatics enclosed in a vascular web ; Isenfiam, that they were 

 cellular substance imbued with gluten and albumen. And M. 

 Beclard, observing that maceration resolves them into a spe- 

 cies of mucous or cellular substance, teaches that they are the 

 latter in a condensed state. Bichat's opinion is probably correct 

 that the tissue is peculiar, and tha-t maceration only brings into 

 view the cellular substance which unites its fibres. Though 

 maceration and chemical management evolve some striking 

 coincidences with cellular membrane, yet in the natural and 

 ordinary state there are some very strong points of difference 

 from it. Among these may be remarked its great want of elas- 



* Prodrome della Grande Anatomia. 



