THEORIES RESPECTING CONNECTIVE TISSUE. ^9 



is the peculiar power of the cell ; the mere transuda- 

 tion from vessels is no doubt a means of conveyance 

 onwards, but does not constitute the specific action of 

 the gland nor the real secretion. In an analogous man- 

 ner, in all the glands of which we can follow the action 

 in all its details with precision, the essential peculi- 

 arities of their energy are derived from the development 

 and transformation of epithelial cells. 



The second histological group is formed by the con- 

 nective tissues (Gewebe der Bindesubstanz). This is the 

 subject in which I take the most interest, because it was 

 here that my own observations, which have led to the 

 result to which I directed your attention at the begin- 

 ning of these lectures, originated. The alterations which 

 I have succeeded in introducing in the views of histolo- 

 gists with regard to the whole group have, at the same 

 time, enabled me to give a certain degree of roundness 

 and completeness to the cellular theory. 



Previously, connective tissue had nearly universally 

 been regarded as essentially composed of fibres. On 

 examining loose connective tissue in different re- 

 gions, as, for example, beneath the corium, in the pia 

 mater, subserous and submucous cellular tissue, we find 

 wavy bundles of fibres, the so-called wavy connective tis- 

 sue (Fig. 19, A). This wavy character, which is inter- 

 rupted at certain intervals, so as to give rise to a kind 

 of fasciculation, could, it was thought, with the less hesi- 

 tation be attributed to the presence of separate fibres, 

 because at the end of each bundle isolated filaments 

 could in reality be seen to protrude. In spite of this, 

 however, an attack was made upon this very hypothesis, 

 somewhat more than ten years ago, and has proved of 

 very great importance, though in a manner different to 

 to that which was intended. Reichert endeavoured, 

 namely, to show that the fibres were only an optical 



