CONNECTIVE TISSUES. 



47 



the various coats of the hollow viscera, and the fibres of muscles, etc., and thus 

 forms one of the most important connecting media of the various structures or 



FIG. 16. Yellow elastic tissue. High power. 



organs of which the body is made up. In many parts the areolae or interspaces 

 of areolar tissue are occupied by fat-cells, constituting adipose tissue, which will 

 presently be described. 



Areolar tissue presents to the naked eye a flocculent appearance, somewhat 

 like spun silk. When stretched out, it is seen to consist of delicate soft elastic 

 threads interlacing with each other in 

 every direction and forming a network 

 of extreme delicacy. When examined 

 under the microscope it is found to be 

 composed of white fibres and elastic 

 fibres intercrossing in all directions, 

 and united together by a homogeneous 

 cement or ground-substance, and filled 

 by cellular elements, which contain the 

 protoplasm out of which the whole is 



developed and regenerated 



Ihese Cell-Spaces mav be brought 

 , i ^i * ..-. 



into view by treating the tissue with 



nitrate of silver, and exposing it to 



the light. This will color the fibres and ground-substance, leaving the cell-spaces 



unstained. 



The cells of areolar tissue (Fig. IT) are of two kinds : 1, flattened transparent 

 cells, with an oblong nucleus and more or less branched, and often united together 

 by thin-branched processes ; and 2. granular cells, some of which are of the size 



17. Connective-tissue corpuscles. (Klein and 

 Noble Smith.) m. Migratory connective-tissue cell. The 

 other two are the ordinary branched cells, each with an 

 oblong nucleus. 



