226 NORMAL HISTOLOGY. 



tween which, as well as their summits, being cov~ 

 ered by the cells of the Malpighian layer. If we 

 imagine a section made through the skin, parallel 

 with its surface, and just deep enough to cut off the 

 tops of the papillae, the cells of the Malpighian 

 layer which lie between the latter, would appear, on 

 looking at the cut surface, to be arranged in the 

 form of a net-work, whose meshes are filled by the 

 papillae of the corium. Hence it is that these col- 

 lections of cells have received the name rete Mai- 

 pighiL 



The corium is formed of interlacing bundles of 

 connective tissue, which are coarser in the deeper, 

 finer in the more superficial portions, where they 

 extend into the epidermis, forming the papillae. 

 Imbedded in the papillae are capillary blood-ves- 

 sels, nerves, and special terminal nerve-apparatuses. 

 Elastic fibres are present in considerable number, 

 and in the interstices of the fibres lie flattened, 

 spindle-shaped, branching, and small spheroidal 

 cells. In addition to these elements we sometimes 

 find muscular tissue in the corium ; thus striated 

 muscular fibres occur in certain parts of the skin of 

 the face ; and smooth muscular tissue, aside from 

 that belonging to the hair-follicle, is found about the 

 sweat-glands, in the skin of the scrotum and penis, 

 and in the nipple and its areola. 



The subcutaneous connective tissue we have al- 

 ready studied when considering the connective tissue 



