CONNECTIVE TISSUES 



Blood and Nerve Supply of the Connective Tissues. The connec- 

 tive tissues, but especially the areolar variety, form a supporting 

 substance through which the 

 various blood and lymphatic 

 vessels and nerve trunks are 

 distributed to all portions of 

 the body. Within the con- 

 nective tissues these vessels 

 are everywhere present, and 

 from them the connective tis- 

 sue itself receives its supply 

 of capillary vessels and ter- 

 minal nerve fibrils. 



The vascular supply of 

 the connective tissues is very 

 abundant. Small arteries, 

 which are derived from the 

 main trunks, form a capillary 

 plexus throughout the tissue, 

 the capillaries finally reunit- 

 ing to form the venules. 



It is in this capillary 

 plexus that the fluid portions 

 of the blood exude into the 

 surrounding perivascular lym- 

 phatic or tissue spaces of the 

 connective tissue. The tissue 

 juices which arise in this man- 

 ner are most active agents in 



the physiological processes of assimilation. From the tissue juice 

 spaces, lymph re-enters the abundant capillary lymphatic vessels 

 to be finally returned to the venous blood. Of the several varieties 

 of connective tissue, the adipose possesses the most abundant blood 

 supply ; the lymphoid, on the other hand, is most richly supplied 

 with lymph. 



Abundant nerves are distributed to the connective tissues, some 

 of which supply its blood vessels while others terminate in special 

 forms of sensory nerve end organs. 



FIG. 50. FROM A SECTION THROUGH THE ME- 

 DULLA OF A CERVICAL LYMPHATIC NODE 

 OF MAN. 



a, a "cord" of dense lymphoid tissue; 

 6, looser lymphoid tissue of the medullary 

 sinuses ; c, the margin of a fibrous trabecula ; 



d, nucleus of the connective tissue reticulum ; 



e, endothelial lining of the lymphatic sinus. 

 Hematein and eosin. x 475. 



