MOEBID CONDITION OF CAETILAGE. 215 



Cartilage may become destroyed from disease arising within 

 itself, independently of any morbid condition in the bones or 

 synovial membrane ; and to account for this, seeing thai carti- 

 lage is a non- vascular structure, Goodsir, Kedfern, and others 

 made many important investigations. 



The anatomist will be aware that cartilage in a healthy state, 

 when microscopically examined, is seen to consist of a homo- 

 geneous matrix, called the hyaline substance, mixed with fibrous 

 tissue in fibro-cartilage, and nucleated cells, called the cartilage 

 corpuscles, embedded in its sub- 







stance, arranged in a certain 

 order. Cartilage contains no 

 blood-vessels, but derives its 

 nourishment by imbibition from 

 iho surrounding fluids and tex- 

 tures. In the large joints, 

 blood-vessels may occasionally 

 be seen penetrating the cartilage, 

 but these do not seem to form 



nutrient loops; hence, to all - >^ - ^>_i^^^^>^« 

 intents and purposes, articular Ws 



cartilage contains no blood- FlO. 86.— Healthy cartilage. 



vessels, nor have any nerves been discovered in it ; consequently, 

 it possesses no sensibility. 



It was first demonstrated by Goodsir that ulceration of 

 'Cartilage is accompanied by enlargement and alteration in the 

 form and arrangement of the cells. " Instead of being of their 

 usual form, they are larger, rounded, or oviform, and instead of 

 "two or throe nucleated cells in their interior, contain a mass 

 of them. At the very edge of the ulcerated cartilage, the 

 cellular contents communicate with a diseased membrane by 

 openings more or less extended. Some of the ovoidal maRsea 

 in the enlarged corpuscles may be seen half released from their 

 oa^'itiefi by the removal of the cartilage." ^ Goodsir describes 

 a fake membrane of a gelatinous nature, which covers the 

 cartilage during the progress of the disease, both in scrofulous 

 -and simple inflammation. As far as my investigations go, I 

 liave only found this membrane in two instances. 



The texture of the cartilage does not, during the progresa 



*.G<K)Dblr'b Anatomioal and Pathdogical Obaervationi. 



