14 



the surface of the body on all sides betwixt the; mus- 

 cles and the skin. 



Through this cellular substance the small vessels 

 are spread, and ramified in all parts of the body ; 

 from whose arterial extremities the fat is deposited 

 into the cells, and afterwards absorbed by the venal 

 orifices. This passage from the arteries, into the adi- 

 pose cells, is so free and short, that there must needs 

 ba very large mouths by which they open, and by 

 which they give admittance to injected mercury, air, 

 or water. The oily fat, in this substance, is separated 

 and expelled from the artery ; not by any long ducts, 

 but by transuding on all sides through the whole ex- 

 tent of the vessel. How quickly it is collected from 

 the arteries, appears from the speedy renovation of 

 it, by a returning fatness after acute diseases. 



\Virhregardtothe sponge-like communications of 

 this substance, it is remarkable, the intervals or spa- 

 ces betwixt the plates or scales that make up their 

 sides in the cellular membrane, are every where open, 

 and form one continuous cavity throughout the whole 

 body. 



That, out of this substance joined with vessels, 

 nerves, muscular and tendinous fibres, (a great part of 

 all which are before formed of this substance only) all 

 the viscera, all the muscles and glands, with their li- 

 gaments and capsules, are entirely composed; and that 

 only from the different length, tension, quantity or 

 proportion of this, the diversity of our glands and 

 viscera arises ; and lastly that this alone makes up by 

 far the greatest part of the whole body, we are certain, 

 if the whole be not formed out of the cellular filaments 

 of this kind. 



4. The hardest part of the body, white and void 

 of sense, is termed a bone. The bones are covered 

 with a thin skin, called the periosteum, extremely 

 sensible. 



The bones consist of thin plates, lyiug one upon 



