Chap, v.] CONSTITUTION OF ORGANISED BODIES. 49 



animal tissues, namely •- 1. The elements of the cellular or con- 

 nective tissue; 2. The cells remaining autonomous, that is to 

 say, the epitheliums and the glandular cells, to which might be 

 added the globules of the blood ; 3. The elements of the mus- 

 eular tissue ; 4. The elements of the nervous tissue. 



The first of these tissues forms the general gangue. the support 

 of all the other tissues and elements. It is essentially composed 

 of cells called stellaUd cells, having a diameter of from O""", 050 

 to 0" "", 060. These cells enclose a nucleus containing a 

 nucleole. They emit fibrillary prolongations concuiTing to form 

 the fibres of the cellular tissue, and which often seem to be 

 anastomotically connected with each other. Other fibres called 

 laminotis fhres, because they are slightly flattened, form them- 

 selves in that same cellular tissue round elongated nuclei, 

 called emhryoplastic nuclei. The whole resembl e s a long _m.Te- 

 dra wn spind lfi. The laminous fibres emanating from those cells 

 form the chief part of the cellular tissue. They are very long, 

 grouped in bundles, and with an average breadth of 0""°, 001. 



According to this theory, we regard as appertaining to cellular 

 tissue the cartilaginous cells and the osseous cells. All these 

 cells are nucleated. The fii-st are round or ovoid, the second 

 are irregular, and emit in every direction filiform prolongations, 

 anastomotically intertwined. These last cells, which form the 

 living mechanism of the osseous skeleton, have been called 

 stellated osseous corpuscles. 



The cells called autonomous comprehend the globules of the 

 blood, which we shall describe further on, and the epitheliums. 

 Of these last elements, some sei-ve to line, while protecting, 

 the animal membranes, the skin and the mucous membranes, 

 while the others play in the secretions an extremely important 

 part, to which we shall have occasion to return. 



The epitheliums have as their first division the pavimentnus 

 epitheliums, , large cells flattened, and usually polyhedrica^ 

 because they are subject to reciprocal compression.^ T^^y 

 contain a nucleus and a nucleole, and their whole aspect vividly 



