OF THE SYNOVIAL MEMBRANES OF THE TENDONS. 163 



this part of anatomy is most indebted. Koch* has well de- 

 scribed these membranes, not in man only, but in several 

 animals. Gerlacht was the first who described and figured, 

 well, those that are found in the neck and head, llosenmul- 

 lerj: has given a work on them, augmented by that of Munro. 

 Mascagni has given a good figure of one of these membranes 

 in his Prodrome. 



205. The number of these membranes is considerable, but 

 various; at this day we know about one hundred pairs. Like 

 all the serous membranes, they form membranous cavities 

 without openings; but with reference to their form, they are 

 divided into two kinds. The first are rounded vesicles hold- 

 ing on one side to the tendon, and on the other to the part on 

 which they slide: these are called vesicular. The others are 

 vaginal, surround the tendon circularly, and another part line 

 the canala in which it is contained, these two isolated parts 

 joining at their extremities so as to be separated by a space 

 that constitutes the cavity of the membrane. Among these 

 latter there are some, which are simple at one end, presenting 

 digitations at the other which answer to a similar number of 

 tendinous parts or different tendons, these latter, at first united, 

 afterwards separate from each other: this is seen in the wrist 

 under the annular ligaments. 



206. The cellular tissue, loose and membraniform, which 

 is found between those muscles that produce the great and 

 continued movements, as under the latissimus dorsi,the rectus 

 anticus of the thigh, the muscles of the calf, &c., constitute, 

 in some sort, the rudiments of the membranes in question. 

 Synovial membranes are found round the tendons in those 

 places where the latter rub against the bones, slide along their 

 surfaces, or on other parts, or where they are reflected and 

 change their direction: these membranes sometimes exist be- 

 tween two tendons that move on each other. The glutaeus 



* Ch. M. Koch. De bursts tendin. muc. Lips. 1789. 



f F. E. Gerlach. De bursts tendinum mucosis in capite et collo reperiundis. 

 cum tabul. centis. Viteberg, 1793. 



$ Icones et descript. bursar mucosar. curporis hum. Ed. T. Ch. Rosenmul- 

 Icr. Lipsisc, 1799. 



