Chap. IV] 



CONNECTIVE TISSUES 



35 



fibres are a certain number of yellow elastic fibres, which do not 

 form bundles, and have a straight instead of a wavy outline. 

 Between these fibres are open spaces, called areolae,^ that com- 

 municate freely with one another. Lying in the areolae between the 

 bundles of fibres are seen the tissue-cells, of which there are 

 many varieties. 



If we make a cut through the skin of some part of the body 

 where there is no subcutaneous fat, as in the upper eyelid, and 

 proceed to raise it from the parts lying beneath, we observe that 



Fig. 14. — Subcutaneous Areolar Tissue from a Young Rabbit. (Highly 

 magnified.) The white fibres are in wavy bundles, the ela.stic fibres form an open 

 network, p, p, vacuolated cells ; g, granular cell ; c, c, branching lamellar cells ; 

 c', a flattened cell, of which only the nucleus and some scattered granules are visi- 

 ble ; /, fibrillated cell. (Schafer.) 



it is loosely connected to them by a soft, filmy substance of con- 

 siderable tenacity and elasticity. This is areolar tissue. 



Fibrous tissue. — This tissue is intimately allied in structure to 

 the areolar tissue. It consists almost wholly of wavy white fibres, 

 which cohere very closely and are arranged side by side in bundles 

 which have an undulating outline. The spaces between the 

 bundles are occupied by cells arranged in rows, but the cells are 



1 Areola is the Latin word for " a small space." Areolar tissue gets its name from 

 appearing full of minute spaces. 



