1 62 PHYSIC 



the spheres of production and results, intellectual and 

 physical. 



The interstitial substance or texture of the various 

 muscles, on the contrary, derives its nutritional supplies 

 directly from haemal sources through the systemic blood 

 vascular circulation of the mesoblastic area, with which it 

 is inter-penetrated, and is, therefore, influenced by entirely 

 different formative and nutritive conditions, in virtue of 

 which, not sameness, but reciprocity, characterises the 

 relationship with its enclosed and surrounding sarcous or 

 fibro-muscular substance. 



Muscular tissue may, therefore, be regarded as a com- 

 pound of two structural elements owing their origin to 

 two different formative and nutritional sources, viz. the 

 epixblastic and meso-blastic^ and maintaining their structural 

 individuality and distinctness, while collaborating in and 

 contributing to the performance of a common function ; 

 hence the disturbance of the nutritional balance existing 



O 



between the two may lead to unilateral or lop-sided trophic 

 results, with consequent proportional functional disturb- 

 ance, which may result in the abrogation of, or serious 

 interference with, the performance of co-ordinated muscle 

 functions, and, finally, to complete atrophic degeneration 

 and myopathic obliteration of its entire sarcous structural 

 elements. 



Myopathy occurring thus would seem to be dependent 

 upon a faulty motor ' ' terminal plate " materio-dynamic 

 distribution, as the remaining central motor nerve struc- 

 tures have usually not been found involved, resulting in 

 the deprivation of the involved musculature of the nervine 

 or sarcous nutriment, as well as nerve energy supplied to 

 it by the central nervous system, or of that combination 

 of matter and energy which is responsible for the main- 

 tenance of the true muscular fibre, as distinguished from 

 the interstitial substance, which we have said is derived 

 from haemal sources. Myopathy, of what we may call 

 the first degree^ consists alone of atrophy, and degenera- 

 tion of the muscular fibres, with occupation or overlapping 

 of the vacated or shrunken intra-fibral spaces, by the yield- 

 ing collateral interstitial element, which, being deprived 

 of its accustomed lateral sarcous support, fills up the vaci{a y 



