THE CONNECTIVE TISSUES. 49 



for the structure of connective tissues; and, upon the other 

 hand, sought to attribute to the excitation, growth, and pro- 

 liferation of these tissue cells a series of the most important 

 pathological processes, and was thus led to the profound views 

 contained in his cellular pathology. 



According to Virchow's idea the greater part of the tissues 

 belonging to the group of connective tissues consists of inter- 

 cellular substances, the latter indeed varying in regard to their 

 chemical nature in the several members of the series, and con- 

 taining variously formed but similar cells imbedded in their 

 substance. The views of Virchow obtained general acceptation. 

 The special methods which he employed in his researches 

 caused him, however, to describe forms which had nothing to do 

 with connective tissue cells, and induced him in the case of con- 

 nective tissue, as had been done by earlier inquirers in regard to 

 osseous tissue, to admit the existence of cell processes frequently 

 anastomosing with one another, which he regarded as forming a 

 plasmatic canal system traversing the tissue in all directions. 

 Henle* in both instances expressed determined and persistent 

 opposition to the existence of connective tissue corpuscles in 

 the sense understood by Yirchow. The point in question 

 required an exact appreciation of appearances exhibited under 

 the microscope, and the final result was that inquirers for the 

 most part convinced themselves of the existence of persistent 

 cells in mature connective tissue. 



In the meanwhile, however, through the investigations of 

 Max Schultze,f Briicke,J and others, the doctrine of cells 

 founded by Schwann, and up to that time generally received, 

 experienced some important modifications. It was no longer 

 possible to describe animal cells as uniform elementary parts of a 

 vegetative character, constructed according to a certain scheme. 

 The new opinions held in regard to the structure of con- 

 nective tissue substances could not remain without influence 

 upon the general conception of a cell. Still more directly was 



* Canstatt's Jahresbericht, 1851, Bd. i., p. 22 ; 1852, Bd. i., p. 20 ; 1853, 

 Bd. i., p. 8. See also Henle, Jahresbericht for 1858, p. 53 ; 1859, p. 28. 

 f Reichert and Du Bois Reymond's Archiv, 1861, p. 1. 

 J Sitzungsberichte der Wiener Akademie, Band xliv., 1861, p. 381. 



