Sir Everard Home on the structure of a muscular fibre, &c. 65 
ease complete the discovery by an actual examination of 
muscular fibres in the microscope. 
Under this impression, I requested the President to appoint 
me to give this Lecture, which is to be read nearly at the 
same time my paper on ganglions will be published ; so that 
no one will have an earlier opportunity of applying what is 
said of nerves in that communication to muscular fibres, the 
consideration of which is the object of the present Lecture. 
In Mr. Bauer's former examination of muscular structure, 
that the integrant fibre might be more easily separated from 
the fasciculus to which it belonged, we had gone into the 
same error with those physiologists who have made diagrams 
of the internal appearance of the brain, after coagulation, 
and had boiled the muscle previous to the examination ; not 
being aware that this process must decompose red globules, 
should any exist, and cause the colouring matter to be sepa- 
rated. Boiling would also destroy any connecting medium 
by which the globules are united together ; so that, if I may 
use the expression, there would only be the skeleton of a 
muscular fibre remaining to be examined. 
Upon the present occasion, therefore, the fibres belonging 
to the fasciculi that compose the great muscle that lies upon 
the back of the bullock's neck, to raise the head, were 
selected, and were examined in 24 hours after the animal 
was killed ; and we know that in all violent deaths, the 
muscular fibres continue capable of contraction beyond that 
period, after apparent death has taken place. 
In this muscle the fasciculi are more loosely connected 
together than in almost any other animal body ; and in the 
interstices between them there is no fat; but Mr. Bauer 
MDCCCXXVI. K 
