FIBROUS TISSUE. 225 



i 



extensible, homogeneous tissue, resembling much the cellular, 

 and presents no appearance of fibres, till near the period of 

 birth. As life advances it becomes more hard, soliti*^ and 

 yellow, and in extreme old age presents much rigidity, and is 

 occasionally even converted into bone. When macerated in 

 water, or imbued with fluids, as in scrofulous inflammation of 

 the joints, it presents a pulpy, spongy appearance, in the cells 

 of which the fluid is contained. If the maceration is carried 

 only to a limited extent, the fibres will separate into filaments, 

 as delicate as those of the silk worm ; but by prolonged mace- 

 ration these filaments themselves disappear in the cellular 

 mass. Mascagni, believed these fibres were lymphatics en- 

 closed in a vascular web. Beclard, that they were nothing but 

 condensed cellular tissue. Isenflam, that it was cellular tissue, 

 with the walls imbued and the cells filled with gluten and 

 albumen, and more or less in the advance of life with earthy 

 matter; an opinion which seems to accord with the different 

 phases which the tissue presents. Chaussier and Bichat, con- 

 sidered the fibre as primitive and peculiar, and that maceration 

 only brought into view the cellular tissue which connected the 

 fibres together. 



However this may be, and it is a question not yet decided, 

 in the form in which it presents itself to study, it differs in 

 many respects from cellular tissue. It is not elastic or yielding 

 to the application of sudden force as the latter ; the fibres will 

 break or tear up at their bony attachment, but cannot be 

 stretched or strained in the proper sense of the word. But 

 when the force is gradually applied, as by the accumulation of 

 a fluid in a joint, they yield to receive it, by a sort of interstitial 

 expansion or growth, and retract in the same gradual manner, 

 when the distending power is removed. Fibrous tissue contains 

 but little adipose matter, and is affected only to a slight extent 

 in anasarca. 



The labors of the microscopists have recently confirmed the 

 opinion of Chaussier and Bichat. 



They have shown fibrous tissue to consist of fine transparent 

 undulating cylindrical filaments, about i^ 00 part of an inch in 



