Animal Morphology. 107 



as the heart, lungs, etc., the liver also is very singularly 

 protected by the bony framework ; whilst, on the other 

 hand*, this apparatus is made subservient in its offices to the 

 next great sensient apparatus the tripartite membrane of 

 the apparatus of the sense of Force.* 



This apparatus may be justly termed the complete subdermal 

 sense apparatus, and consists of the limbs and jaws, and the 

 vertebral column ; and the mammary, as the transitional 

 subdermal membrane. 



In this the osseous framework stands for the mucous 

 membrane, synovial membrane for the serous, and striped 

 muscle for the contractile membrane. 



Before entering into an outline of the relations which this 

 system of bony framework stands to the sense of force, it 

 may be well to state that it was this tripartite membrane 

 which first led to the hypothesis that the human frame, and 

 animal life generally, consisted of a succession of tripartite 

 membranes the lower in the scale of life the fewer, and the 

 higher the greater number and complexity of tripartite and 

 metamorphosed membranes of every conceivable form of 

 cell differentiation. 



Whenever there were good grounds for believing that there 

 was diseased bone, as caries, there was a distinct form of border 

 and eversion of the ulcer on the skin opening opposite, or more 

 distantly placed, but leading to the diseased part; when there 

 was no apparent pus for weeks from diseased bone, and long 

 before it became loose, this ulcer on the skin, with the 

 everted edges, told one tale namely, diseased bone was near. 



Why, it was asked, should the skin have such a sympathy 

 with bone ? What is there in bone distinct to other tissues ? 

 It is often the case that matter partly escapes from a cellular 

 abscess beneath the skin, and long before all has drained 

 away the outward opening in the skin heals, only to reopen 



* See Monthly Journal of Medicine for February, March, and April, 1855. 



