Chap, v.] FIBROUS CONNECTIVE TISSUES. 41 



large oil globule fills the cell, and what is left of the 

 cell protoplasm surrounds this oil globule like a 

 membrane. The cell as a whole has become in this 

 process many times its original size. 



46. It can also be shown that where at one time 

 only few isolated connective tissue corpuscles are 

 present, at another time, in the natural state of 

 growth, and especially under very favourable condi- 

 tions of nutrition, the connective tissue cells become 

 increased by cell-multiplication so as to form groups ; 

 these continue to increase in size and to be gra- 

 dually furnished with their own system of blood- 

 vessels; the individual cells constituting the group 

 become then converted into fat cells, and their pro- 

 cesses are thereby lost. 



Individual connective tissue cells situated in the 

 neighbourhood of small blood-vessels are converted 

 into fat cells under favourable conditions of nutrition. 



In starvation the fat cells lose their oil globule, 

 they become smaller and contain a serous fluid, which 

 may ultimately also disappear. Finally, the fat cell 

 may be reduced to a small, solid, protoplasmic, slightly 

 branched cell. 



47. In many places the fibrous connective tissue 

 includes, besides the fixed cells, others which show 

 amoeboid movement. These are of two kinds: (1) 

 migratory or wandering cells. These are identical 

 with colourless blood corpuscles as regards size, shape, 

 aspect, and general nature (Fig. 24, m). They wander 

 about through the spaces of the fibrous tissue. Some 

 of them are slightly larger, and possess one spherical 

 relatively large nucleus. The amoeboid movement 

 of these cells is not so distinct as in the smaller 

 variety. (2) Plasma cells of Waldeyer. They are 

 larger than the former, less prone to migrating, being 

 possessed of only slight amoeboid movement, which 

 is, however, sufficiently pronounced to be detected. 



