Regeneration of Conneetive Tissue. 237 



The nature and method of celhilar proHfcration, as far as 

 nuclear and celhilar division is concerned, is in general the same as 

 in normal life, although there are pathological irregularities met 

 in the chromatin network and detailed structure of the protoplasm. 

 The replacement of lost tissue originates from the cells which hap- 

 pen to remain unchanged at the site of the defect or exist imme- 

 diateh- about it. If there are elements present in such a position, of 

 the same kind as those lost and capable of multiplication, their pro- 

 liferation may completely restore the fault, the area of loss being 

 filled up with identically similar elements with the same functional 

 abilities (simple or eo)iipIefe re^i^-eiierafioii) . Should the proper 

 cells be absent from the vicinity of the faulty area regeneration 

 will be incomplete (false), and the space will be occupied by cica- 

 tricial tissue derived from the connective tissue structures every- 

 where present. 



Kegeneration of Connective Tissue and Bloodvessels. The con- 

 nective tissue framework is the tissue which takes the principal 

 part in repair in lesions of any kind, whether traumatic lesions of 

 continuity or necrobiotic destruction of the parenchyma of organs ; 

 usuallv the first elements to multiply being the connective tissue 

 cells, these taking the place of the various elements incapable of 

 regeneration. For this purpose their power of movement and of 

 taking up otlier cells and all sorts of disintegration products 

 makes them of value to the organism in the removal of 

 substance which has become useless, and in the construction 

 of a protective wall about foreign bodies. The greater 

 part of the connective tissue seen in sections is made up of minute 

 narrow spindle cells, almost completely occupied by dark elongated 

 nuclei, and intervening bundles of fibrils. In case of prolifera- 

 tion of this tissue these spindle shaped elements multiply, the 

 nuclei undergoing mitotic division and the protoplasm increasing 

 in volume. The newly formed connective tissue corpuscles are 

 thicker and polymorphous, sometimes rounded or polyhedral, and 

 provided with a number of processes; they usually lie closely sit- 

 uated, often in rows one after another, and show their active 

 part in the proliferation b\- the presence of mitotic nuclear 

 figures (one cell sometimes contain'ng two or three nuclei). As 

 they approach the type of embryonic mesoblastic cells and repre- 

 sent the young germinal elements of connective tissue they are 

 known (Lebert) as fibroplasts (irXdacHv. to form), or Hhrohlasts 

 (^Xa'TTdvw. to germinate). In connection with the multiplication 

 of these cells there also occurs a new formation of the connective. 



