GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS ON THE STRIPED MUSCLES. 



233 



the tissue of the aponeuroses and tendons, as well as the reciprocal relations of 

 these two parts. 



The muscular fibre may be found passing in the same direction as the tendon, 

 or it may fall upoji the latter obliquely. In both cases there is no insensible 



Fig. 147. 



Fig. 148.' 



TORN MUSCULAR FI- 

 BRE : THE TWO 

 FRAGMENTS ARE 

 HELD TOGETHER 

 BY THE SARCO- 

 LEMMA. 



transition between the muscular fibre and the fasci- 

 culus of the fibrous tissue ; on the contrary, the con- 

 tractile fibre terminates by a rounded extremity, 

 which is buried in a corresponding depression in the 

 tendon or aponeurosis. The union of the muscular 

 with the fibrous tissue appears to be effected by means 

 of a kind of amorphous cement, which is very solid ; 

 so much so, that when the muscles are submitted to a 

 degree of traction sufficient to cause a rupture, this 

 never happens at the point of union. 



The tendons commence sometimes by a hollow 

 cone, which receives on its internal face the insertions 

 of its muscular fibres ; and sometimes by a thin point, 

 often divided, which is plunged into the substance of 

 the muscle. It is worthy of remark, that a muscle 

 provided with two tendons shows the first-named 

 arrangement at one of its extremities, and the other 

 at its opposite extremity ; so that all the fibres which 

 compose the muscle offer nearly the same length, those 

 which leave the summit of the internal tendon being 

 fixed to the bottom of the hollow cone formed by the 

 second tendon, and so on reciprocally. 



Tendons are not necessarily placed at the ex- 

 tremities of muscles. Sometimes the muscle is divided into two bodies or bellies 

 by a middle tendon ; it is then named a digastric muscle, 



', * These figures are from Renaut's work, Trailed' Histologie. Just publisiiedby Lecrosnier, 

 Paris. 



PRIMITIVE FIBRE OF THE RED 

 MUSCLE OF A RABBIT, MADE 

 TENSE BY THROBBING. 



NS, Superficial nuclei ; np, 

 deep nuclei ; n, nuclei in 

 profile beneath the sarco- 

 lemma; GS, sarcodic drop 

 resulting from the expression 

 of the muscular plasma, due 

 to the contraction of the 

 muscle under the influence 

 of alcohol ; G, G, G, proteic 

 granules from the muscular 

 plasma, pressed out and united 

 beneath the sarcolemma, or 

 squeezed outside of it. 



