OF THE TENDONS. 



Among the tendons, some are funicular, and have the form 

 of an elongated, rounded or flattened, but narrow cord, these 

 are the tendons properly so called; the others are expanded 

 and membraniform, those are the aponeurotic tendons or the 

 aponeufoses of attachment. 



Both are chiefly placed at the extremities of the muscles, 

 and serve to insert them; the others, placed lengthwise and 

 interrupting the fleshy fibres, are tendons and aponeuroses of 

 intersection or enervations. 



Among the tendons of insertion, there are even some, which 

 consisting in a multitude of small isolated fibrous bundles, 

 have neither the form of a cord nor of a membrane. 



There are others which form arches attached by their two 

 extremities, and under which vessels pass; such is the one 

 under which pass the femoral vessels to become popliteal, &c. 



Among the tendons there are some which have the form of 

 a cord in the greater part of their length, and which, at one of 

 their extremities, or both, expand into membranes. 



There are others which are simple at one extremity, and 

 divide at the other into several cords or into laminae of greater 

 or less breadth. 



The connexion of the tendons with the muscular fibres is 

 very firm; it has even been asserted that there are a real con- 

 tinuity and identity between these parts. But, besides the 

 difference of density and colour, besides the remarkable dif- 

 ference which is perceived with the microscope between the 

 two tissues, we remark aponeurotic tendons whose fibres have 

 a different direction from those of the muscles; the tendons 

 are moreover much less vascular than the muscles; they are 

 proportionally longer in children ; they separate from the 

 muscles by decoction; they are resolved into cellular tissue 

 by maceration; they are not irritable like the muscular fibres, 

 &c.; they are not the continuation of the latter, but simply 

 that of the cellular tissue of the muscles. 



By the other extremity the tendons are attached to the 

 bones, and generally near the articulations. Some aponeu- 

 rotic tendons, instead of directly attaching themselves to the 



