ADIPOSE TISSUE. 
187 
of lead combines with the fatty acids, and the glycerine 
is separated in a nearly pure state. 
It sometimes happens, especially in the adipose tissue 
of old persons, that the solid element, or margarine, 
separates in the form of acicular crystals from the elaine. 
In a specimen of adipose tissue from a female, seventy 
years of age, every cell (Fig. 141) contains a stellate 
mass of these needle-shaped crystals. This fact is more 
strikingly exemplified in the adipose tissue of the Sper- 
FIG. 141 . FIG. 142 . 
B A 
B A 
Adipose tissue of Sperm-whale ; 
Adipose cells, each containing nee- a a, cells containing crystals of sper- 
dle-shaped crystals of margarine. maceti. b b, crystals of spermaceti 
on the outside of cells. 
maceti Whale, the adipose cells, as shown by Fig. 142, 
are of large size, and in every cell may be seen the crys- 
talline substance known as spermaceti. This substance, 
however, as represented by A b, frequently occurs in 
masses of needle-shaped crystals external to the cells, 
but in some instances tabular crystals are more com- 
mon in these situations than the acicular. 
