1 68 THE CIRCULATION. 



tened and nucleated cells, so joined and dovetailed together 

 as to form a continuous transparent membrane (fig. 48). 

 It is not quite certain whether outside these cells there is 



Fig. 48.* 



or is not a fine structureless membrane, on the inner sur- 

 face of which they are laid down. The ramifications of 

 the minute arteries form repeated anastomoses with each 

 other and give off the capillaries which, by their anasto- 

 moses, compose a continuous and uniform network, from 

 which the venous radicles, on the other hand, take their 

 rise. The reticulated vessels connecting the arteries and 



* Fig. 48. Magnified view of capillary vessels from the bladder of 

 the cat. A, V, an artery and a vein ; *', transitional vessel between 

 them and c c, the capillaries. The muscular coat of the larger vessels 

 is left out in the figure to allow the epithelium to be seen : at c', a 

 radiate epithelium scale with four pointed processes, running out upon 

 the four adjoining capillaries (after Chrzonszczewesky, Virch. Arch., 

 1866). 



