OF THE LIGAMENTOUS TISSUE. 323 



CHAPTER VI. 



OF THE LIGAMENTOUS TISSUE. 



496. The ligamentous or desmous tissue, textus desmosus, 

 is white, flexible, very tenacious, and forms very solid ties 

 and envelopes. 



It has been designated by the names of fibrous, albugineous, 

 tendinous, aponeurotic, &c. tissue. These two latter names, 

 as well as that of ligamentous, have the inconvenience of de- 

 signating one particular kind of this tissue, and the first, a qua- 

 lity common to many others; for which reason the name 

 desmous appears to me preferable, because, although it signi- 

 fies ligamentous, it has not been applied to the ligaments in 

 particular. 



497. The most ancient anatomists, Hippocrates and Aris- 

 totle, confounded under the name of nerves all the white parts; 

 hence the names of aponeurosis, syneurosis, ineuration, semi- 

 nervous muscles, &c. The school of Alexandria, and especial- 

 ly Galen, have positively distinguished the ligaments, tendons 

 and nerves. 



Galen and Vesalius had already noticed the analogy which 

 exists between the ligaments and some membranes; Ad. Mur- 

 ray had already indicated the very great resemblance which 

 exists between the tendons, ligaments and aponeuroses. Isen- 

 fiamm* has given some remarks on this tissue; but it is Bichat, 

 who first considered as a whole every part of this system un- 

 der the name of fibrous tissue. He comprehended in it the 

 elastic tissue, which I have separated from it, [361.] and ex- 



* Bemerkungen iiber die fachsen, in Beitragefur die zcrgliederungskunst. 

 Band. i. Leipzig, 1800. 



