60 



CONNECTIVE TISSUE CAETILAGE BONE 



B 



FIG. 69. ISOLATED TENDON CELLS. 



A, with two 'wings'; B, with four 'wings.' (From Maximo w, after Tourneau.) 



X 1000. 



which surround the cardiac orifices, and the chordae tendineae which are 

 attached to its valves ; and in general, it is found wherever great firmness 



and resistance are required. 



Elastic fibers in this tissue are 

 relatively few in number and are so 

 obscured by the dense bundles of white 

 fibers as to be scarcely demonstrable 

 except by means of the specific stains. 

 Tendon will be further discussed in 

 connection with striped muscle. 



Dense Elastic Tissue. I n this 

 form of tissue the elastic fibers are de- 

 veloped at the expense of the colla- 

 genous fibers. The ground substance 

 is insignificant in amount, and the 

 connective tissue cells are scanty and 

 are confined to the white fibrous 

 sheaths in which the elastic fibers are 

 enveloped. The elastic fibers are of 

 very large size (10 to 15 ft ) as com- 

 pared with those of other forms of 

 Connective tissue. But except for their 

 larger size, these fibers have the same 

 peculiar characteristics as the elastic 

 fibers of areolar tissue. In their 

 straight course, frequent branches, and 

 their glistening, highly refractive appearance, as also in their character- 

 istic reactions to specific dyes and other reagents, these fibers are identical 



FIG. 70. COARSE ELASTIC FIBERS 



FROM THE LlGAMENTUM NuCILE 

 OF THE Ox. 



Isolated by teasing. Partly dia- 

 grammatic. X about 250. 



