LIGAMENTS. 



[ 468 ] 



LIGAMENTS. 



tissue. The fibres or fibrillai of the connec- 

 tive tissue are very minute, longitudinal, 

 parallel, closely connected, and pursue a 

 straight or undulatory course. Their union 

 into bundles is sometimes very indistinct, 

 and only to be shown by drying transverse 

 sections and afterwards treating them with 

 alkalies. In other instances the bundles 

 easily recognizable, of a polygonal, 



are 



rounded or elongated form (fig. 400), and 

 connected by loose interstitial areolar tis- 



sue. 



The elastic tissue of tendons exists as 

 slender nuclear fibres, sometimes forming 

 rows of narrow spindle-shaped cells con- 

 nected by slender processes, at others uni- 

 form fibres, or isolated spindle-shaped cells. 

 These are placed at regular distances apart, 

 between the bundles of areolar tissue. 



When tendons are in contact with bones, 

 they frequently contain cartilage-cells, either 

 isolated or arranged in rows (fig. 401, c) ; 

 these sometimes undergo ossification. 



The aponeuroses, fascije, and tendinous 



Fig. 401. 



,.J3 



Magnified 300 diameters. 



Portion of the tendo Achillis attached to the os calcis ; human: A, bone with lacunae a, medullary and fat-cells b ; 

 13, tendon with flbrillaj and cartilage-cells c. 



sheaths consist of the same elements, but 

 in various proportions and differently ar- 

 ranged according to their functions, some- 

 times the areolar fibres being predominant, 

 the structure agreeing with that of tendon, 

 whilst at others the elastic tissue is greatly 

 developed (fig. 403). Some of these tissues 

 also contain cartilage-cells. 



The intervertebral ligaments consist of 

 fibro-cartilage, surrounded by osseous tissue ; 

 the centre is soft and containing concentric 

 cartilage-corpuscles (fig. 101, p. 135). 



Magnified 350 diameters. 



Cartilage-cells from the membranous ligament sur- 

 rounding the popliteua muscle : a, cell with one nucleus ; 

 6, cell with two nuclei ; c, cell containing one, d, two 

 secondary cells, the contents of both of which are more 

 consistent. 



