214 MICROBES AND HEALTH. 



sue takes no part in the work carried on by any of 

 the various organs, but crowds out more or less the 

 original, and the organ or part is weakened in propor- 

 tion. Healthy tissue is caught in the contracting fibers 

 and destroyed. Many small blood vessels are obliter- 

 ated. If in the stomach, the part supplied by such a 

 vessel may die from lack of nourishment, degeneration 

 follows. 



As stated every scar is an example of this kind of tis- 

 sue. The scar looks light in color in proportion to the 

 number of blood vessels destroyed. If on the scalp the 

 contracting fibers, besides obliterating blood vessels, will 

 destroy some of the hair-follicles and leaves a bare spot. 

 A scar is large or small according to whether the edges 

 of the wound were brought smoothly together or allowed 

 to gape, leaving a space to be filled in with what is called 

 granulation tissue. 



The amount of this newly formed tissue is in propor- 

 tion to the amount of inflammation and septic or poi- 

 sonous matter contained in the blood. Perhaps a burn 

 gives the best illustration of the contraction of connec- 

 tive tissue resulting from inflammation, because there 

 is more of it; in this case the tissue destroyed by the 

 burn dead tissue is in contact with the healthy, and 

 as the dead tissue is being decomposed and removed its 

 morbid influence comes in direct contact with the liv- 

 ing. This is the battle line between the living and the 

 dead, hence inflammation is more intense, and there re- 

 sults more connective tissue overgrowth. As a result 

 of burns many people have seen the hands or face 

 drawn out of all resemblance to a human being. 



