Sed.VIL BuRSiE MucosJt of the Human Body. 27 
is. That the • fat is lodged in the cells of the common cellular membrane. 
And as the fat is commonly much wafted in dropftcal conftitutions, it has 
been taken for granted, that when the fat was wafted the water occupied 
' its place, 
I 
in 1762, the late Dr W. Hunter (^d), after taking notice of the general opi- 
nion that^he oil of the adipofe membrane is lodged in the fame cavities as the 
water of the anafarca, fays, That he had long thought diftcrently; “and that 
“ wherever there is fat, he apprehends that there is a glandular apparatus fuper- 
“ added to the reticular membraiie, confifting of veficles or bags for lodging the 
“ animal oil, as well as veflels fitted for its fecretion.” He then fpecifies his 
reafons for this opinion; and, inp. 36, propofes the following query: “ From 
“ all thefe obfervations, may we not then reafdnably conclude, that the oil of 
“ the cellular membrane is lodged in particular veficles ; and not, as the wa- 
“ ter of an anafarca, in the reticular interftices of parts?” 
. His arguments render his opinion extremely probable: but it is plain that 
he had not examined the ftrudure with the microfeope; by which alone it can 
be afeertained* 
Long before Dr Hunter wrote, and indeed long before he began to ftudy, 
my father ufed to obferve (^), and in his annual courfes of ledures to demon- 
ftrate, that the marrow, viewed with the microfeope, looked like a clufter of 
pearls. To this I had added the obfervation, that after a good injedtlon of the 
veflels, a vafcular membrane could be ftiown furrounding each of the globules ; 
and from which the marrow was beyond doubt fecreted. I afterwards found, 
on 
eft, cumipfe adeps fpontefein rotundas glebulas colligat. iLieutaud, EIT. Anat. 1766. p. 105. 
Sabatier, Tr. d’Ahat. 1781. T. I. p. 14. La iiioelle eft compofee deveficules membraneufes qui com- 
muniquent toutes enfembk. — ^P. 15. De membranes que Ton peut diftendre en fouflant. — T.3. p.355. 
On fait que les cellules du tiffu adipeux communiquent toutes les unes avee les autres. ^Plenclc, 
Pr. Lin. Anat. 1775, p. 176. ^Leber, Anat. 1778, p. no 
(d) Med. Obf. 1762, Art. II. p. 33. 
(e) See the firft edition of his Ofteology, 1726. ' ‘ ' 
