94 NORMAL HISTOLOGY. 



I. a. SMOOTH MUSCULAR TISSUE. 



Smooth muscular tissue is made up of very much 

 elongated, narrow, pointed, usually fusiform cells. 

 These cells are commonly arranged in groups or bun- 

 dles, enclosed in connective tissue and supplied with 

 blood-vessels and nerves. The cell-body, although 

 usually fusiform, is sometimes flattened and band- 

 like, often divided at the ends into two pointed ex- 

 tremities. Owing to pressure from adjacent parts, 

 the fusiform cell-bodies are often more or less flat- 

 tened at the sides, presenting on cross-section an 

 irregular polygonal contour. The cell-body has an 

 indistinct longitudinal striation, and frequently in the 

 vicinity of the nucleus a few shining granules are 

 seen. The nucleus is usually narrow and much 

 elongated, rod-like, and commonly encloses one or 

 more nucleoli. It usually lies near the middle of 

 the cell, which is often thickened or bulging at that 

 doint. 



These cells lie side by side or lap over one another 

 at the ends, and are joined together by a small 

 amount of an albuminoid cement substance. These 

 smooth muscle-cells are variously grouped in differ- 

 ent parts of the body ; sometimes crowded together 

 in solid bundles, which are arranged in layers and 

 surrounded by connective tissue, as in the intestines ; 

 sometimes arranged in narrow interlacing fascicles, 

 as in the bladder, or scattered singly through certain 

 tissues ; sometimes wound in single or double layers 



