TISSUES OF THE BODY. 



177 



same cartilage 

 or 



Fig. 167. Costal cartilage from ,ihe infant in transverse 

 section, a. external portion lying next the perichondrinm ; 

 ft, internal portion. 



broadest cells (I) are to be found, some of oval or spherical form, and 



diameter of 0'0169-0'0282 



mm. Capsules are either 



not at all visible, or only so 



in. the form of delicate 



halos, and within the latter 



we find at most one pair of 



so-called daughter-cells. 



If we now examine the 

 in an adult 

 older individual (iig. 

 1 68), we remark, particularly 

 in the internal portions, 

 isolated whitish or white 

 spots, where the tissue pre- 

 sents a silky gloss or appear- 

 ance like asbestos, in the 

 midst of the more trans- 

 parent ordinary ground-sub- 

 stance (a). Under the micro- 

 scope we find the tissue to be 

 here fibrous (c), and indeed 

 most regularly so; we see 

 stiff, crowded bundles of 

 fibres running parallel with one another, and becoming lost in the neigh- 

 bouring ground-mass. These do not pale on treatment with acetic acid. 

 Again, in many localities the intercellular substance appears granular and 

 clouded, in others cleft or further split up into bundles (&). 



Here also, in transverse sections, we meet with small flattened cartilage 

 cells, close under the surface, arranged in several layers, and without any 

 capsules or so-called daughter-cells. They lie in the usual manner with 

 their long axis parallel to the edge of the cartilage. Deeper down the 

 cells, which are still in general of but small dimensions, take up an irre- 

 gular position, becoming gradually broader and larger. We may meet 

 with some towards the centre, measuring 0'0750-(H150 mm. At the 

 same time, the position of the elements either remains irregular, or they may 

 be more or less arranged in radiating lines. Here we find the daughter- 

 cells also more numerous (d, e, /). 



The cells found in the portions which have become fibrous may be 

 enormously large, attaining in some cases a diameter of 0'1423-0*2256 

 mm. They are of roundish, oval, or elongated form, with whole swarms 

 of endogenous cells, 20, 25, or 30, or even 60, as Donde.rs once saw. 



Capsules are of very ordinary occurrence around the cells in the more 

 internal portions of the costal cartilages. They are of varying but gene- 

 rally considerable thickness (/), and appear at one time distinctly marked 

 off externally, at another blending into the surrounding ground-substance. 

 In other cartilage cells this capsule system cannot be distinguished opti- 

 cally from the surrounding matrix (d), or has developed into fibres (e). 



The large amount of fat which (commencing at birth) has been gradu- 

 ally accumulated here, is also very remarkable. Here may be seen 

 larger or smaller globules, which coalescing especially in the neighbour- 

 hood of the nucleus may frequently envelope the latter, so that we have 

 apparently to do with a drop of oil in its place. 



