VESSELS OF THE MUSCLES. 



413 



Fig. 266. 



an acute or a right angle directly on the surface of the bones, being 

 blended with all its elevations and depressions. Close to the bones, 

 the tendons frequently contain delicate isolated cartilage-cells. (Fig. 

 224.) Sometimes the tendinous fibres are, next the bone, entirely 

 incrusted with calcareous salts, in the form of granules (ossified). 

 This kind of direct connection obtains in the tendo-Achillis, the 

 tendons of the quadriceps femoris, pectoralis major, latissimus dqrsi, 

 deltoid, psoas, iliac, glutasi, &c. (p. 346). 



2. In case of indirect connection of the tendons, their fasciculi and 

 fibres are continuous with those of the periosteum, fasciae, fibrous 

 membranes, &c., respectively. 



The insertion of muscles into the areolar tissue of the skin and 

 mucous membranes, without the interven- 

 tion of tendons, should be alluded to here. 

 This is best seen in the tongue and the 

 facial muscles of mammals. Here the mus- 

 cular fasciculi lie in the subcutaneous areo- 

 lar tissue, maintaining the same diameter 

 till they nearly reach their insertions. 

 Then they divide into several branches, 

 each tapering to a conical extremity, or di- 

 viding into a number of delicate pointed 

 processes. In either case, the fibres gra- 

 dually or suddenly lose their striation, and 

 pass into the nucleated bands of the white 

 fibrous tissue. No myolemma can be seen 

 in the branched ends of the muscles, but the 

 white fibrous tissue is directly continuous 

 with the matrix of the muscular fibres. 



The Vessels of the Muscles. 

 The arterial trunks reach the muscles in 

 an oblique or transverse direction, and then 

 subdividing, run in the perimysia interna in 

 an arborescent manner, and at an acute or 

 obtuse angle, so that every part of the mus- 

 cle is supplied by them. The minutest arte- 

 ries and veins usually run parallel to the 

 muscular fibres, between which they form a 

 plexus, so characteristic as never to be mis- 

 taken after being once seen. (Fig. 266.) 



Capillaries of a small fascicu- 

 lus of muscular fibres from the 

 neek of the dog. a. Terminal 

 twig of the artery, v. Terminal 

 twig of the vein. p. Plexus of 

 capillaries, e. Single muscular 

 fibre, to show the relative size 

 and direction of those to which 

 thecapillai-ies, here represented, 

 are distributed. 



