76 PRACTICAL HISTOLOGY. 



does not adhere to the blade (see 295). Probably several 

 sections may have to be made before a sufficiently thin one 

 is obtained. It is not necessary to have one embracing the 

 whole thickness of the tendon, but care must be taken to 

 have it exactly transverse and not oblique. Examine the 

 section in water. 



(L.) A tendon consists for the most part of bundles of 

 fibres running longitudinally; a few transverse fibres encircle 

 the longitudinal bundles, forming a sheath for the whole 

 tendon. This sheath sends inwards branching trabeculae 

 between the bundles, so as to divide the tendon into com- 

 partments. These trabeculae and the cut ends of the en- 

 closed longitudinal bundles are readily seen with L. 



(H.) Observe the compressed branching spaces between 

 the transverse sections of the longitudinal fibres. Some 

 of the spaces contain nucleated corpuscles. (This prepara- 

 tion need not be preserved.) 



If such a section be placed in glycerine, the fibres swell up and be- 

 come hyaline. The cut ends of elastic fibres may then be seen within 

 the longitudinal bundles and the nuclei of the cells in the branching, 

 spaces may also be seen. 



105. Examine T. S. tendon hardened in chromic or 

 picric acid, and preserved in glycerine. In this, the spaces 

 between the bundles are not so compressed as in the dried 

 tendon. 



1 06. Examine a tendon from the tail of a rat prepared 

 as follows. Divide the skin about the middle of the tail of 

 a young rat or mouse just killed. Forcibly detach the ex- 

 tremity of the tail, so as to rupture the caudal vertebrae, and 

 pull out the bundles of fine tendons with which these are 

 surrounded. Two methods may then be adopted i. They 

 may be placed in -^ per cent solution of chloride of gold for 

 two or three minutes, and then exposed to the light in water 

 acidulated with a few drops of acetic acid (see 330). The 

 tendons are then teased with needles, and mounted in 

 Farrants' solution or in glycerine. 2. The tendons may be 

 placed for a minute or two in water slightly acidulated with 

 acetic acid, to cause them to swell up and become trans- 

 parent. They are then washed in water stained with log- 



