72 THE CELL DOCTRINE, 



formation of the connective tissue corpuscles them- 

 selves. He says, " The transformation of these latter 

 into the former, can gradually he traced with such 

 distinctness, that there' remains no doubt, that even 

 the coarser elastic fibres directly result from a chemi- 

 cal change and condensation of the walls them- 

 selves.* Where originally there lay a cell, provided 

 with a delicate membrane and elongated processes, 

 there we sec the membrane gradually increasing in 



Fig. 17. 



Elastic networks and fibres from the subcutaneous tissue of the abdomen of 

 a woman, a a, Large elastic bodies (cell bodies), with numerous anastomosing 

 processes. 6 b, Dense elastic bands of iibres on the border of larger meshes. 

 c c, Moderately thiols fibres spirally coiled up at the end. d d, Finer elastic fibres, 

 at e with more minute spiral coils. X300. (From Virchow.) 



thickness and refracting the light more strongly, 

 whilst the proper cell contents continually decrease 

 and finally disappear. 



" The whole structure becomes in this way more 



* Virchow, op. citat., p. 133. 



