97 



110. OF THE LIGAMENTS. 



In the union of the articular surfaces of bones three kinds oi 

 accessory organs are present which, in Syndesmology, are treated 

 of in common, namely ligaments, sy no vial capsules, articular car- 

 tilage. 



For a description of the manner in which the bones form joints, 

 and the modes of their association, refer to page 30. 



a. Ligaments of bones, ligamenta, vw&fanoi, formed of firm 

 and flexible fibrous tissue, consist of white and yellow fasciculi or 

 cords which are not extensible and little sensitive, of a flat, longi- 

 tudinal, oval, also annular or angular figure ; they lie either between 

 the bones, or on their external circumference, almost inseparably 

 attached to the extremities which they unite together. We dis- 

 tinguish the following forms: 



1. Proper ligaments, ligamenta fibrosa accessories, flat cords. 



2. Fibrous capsules, ligg. capsularia, which are tendinous cylinders, attached 

 by their openings to the bones, enclosing the Synovial capsules together 

 with the Cartilages. 



Yellow ligaments, ligg.flava, assigned to a particular purpose, do not belong 

 to these tissues. 



b. Synovial capsules, capsulse s. membranse synoviales, arlicu- 

 lares, thin, translucent, closed sacs of serous uniting tissue between 

 the articular extremities of the bones, connected externally with 

 the surrounding ligaments, secreting inside a thin, serous fluid, or 

 a thick, albuminous Synovia, drawing out into threads, which 

 prevents the attrition of the bones upon one another. Folds 

 which have lying between them small masses of fat, form inter- 

 nally the falsely so-called Glandulse Haversianss. The synovia 

 is not secreted by them, but from innumerable blood-vessels, 

 especially upon the lateral parts. 



c. Articular cartilage, carlilagines articulares, are elastic discs 

 of cartilage tissue which are present in all cases where joints 

 exist, for the purpose of obviating or equalising the pressure of 

 the bones upon one another. They are so much the thicker, the 

 more moveable the articulation, particularly at the circumference 

 of the articular cavity, but, in the centre upon convex surfaces. 

 We distinguish: 



1. Cartilage connected with the bones, which it is extremely difficult to 

 separate from them, and the free surface of which looks into the articular 

 cavity, and 



'2. Free articular cartilage, cariildgg. interariiculares, which on one of the 



two surfaces is connected with the articular end of the bones, is covered by 



the synovial s:ic, an I connected on the borders with the fibrous capsule. They 



are from ^ to ^ of a line thick, and are only present in very moveable articu- 



7 



