The cellular texture in general fixes the muscles in their position; the art of dissection proves it. The effusions of pus which often perform the office of the scalpel, render also very evident this use, which does not prevent the motion in all directions, that the great extensibility of the cellular texture allows. The cellular texture not only fixes the muscles to each other, but it also attaches each of their fibres to neighbouring ones; it flattens them when they contract, and elongates them when they are distended; if they are deprived of it their motions become irregular and uncertain. I have many times separated with a scalpel a muscle laid bare in a living animal, into many small fasciculi; in afterwards making this muscle contract by the irritation of the medulla, by means of a stilet introduced into its canal, I have observed in an evident manner this irregularity of motion. Cut longitudinally a muscle of an extremity from its superior tendon to its inferior, so as to divide it into two or three entirely distinct portions, irritate afterwards one of these portions, the other or the two others will remain almost always at rest, whilst a single irritated fibre in a sound muscle, puts in motion the whole of that muscle. The section of the vessels and the nerves has no doubt a little influence upon this phenomenon; but that of the cellular texture certainly contributes to it also. In dropsical subjects, the serum of the intermuscular texture is often reddish; this phenomenon is owing to the action of this serum after death upon the colouring substance. I believe that this can take place during life only with great difficulty. The fat sometimes abounds in this texture, to such a degree that the fleshy fibres disappear and the fat only is visible; but oftentimes also the yellow appearance of the muscular fibres, which is produced by the absence of the colouring substance, is taken for this fatty state of the muscles. I have seen the first state but rarely; the second is extremely frequent; we are sometimes deceived at first view. But ebullition and combustion easily prove, that the fat is wholly foreign to this want of colour of the muscles examined in this state. _Blood Vessels._ The arteries of the muscles are very apparent; they come from the neighbouring trunks, penetrate the whole circumference of the organ, more however towards its middle, than towards its extremities. They run at first between the principal fasiculi, then divide and their divisions go between the secondary fasciculi, subdivide and wind between the fibres, and finally become capillaries and accompany the small fibres, in which they deposit by the exhalant system the nutritive matter. There are but few organs, which have, in proportion to their size, more blood than the muscles.