A histological and physico-chemical investigation of the swelling of a fibrous tissue

Abstract

Abstract The following paper is an account of the investigation of the swelling of a structured tissue. The object of the research was to see how far histological structure may affect the physico-chemical behaviour of the tissue colloids. Mammalian (goat and ox) skin was chosen for the work. Its histological units are the individual fibrils of the skin fibres. These are composed mainly of collagen, a substance closely allied to gelatin, the colloidal properties of which are well known. The tissue was used in both fresh and dried conditions, the fresh skin being taken within a few hours of the death of the animal. In both cases, however, the immediate normal post-mortem changes had already taken place. Before proceeding to the experimental section of this paper, a brief description of the architecture of skin may, perhaps, be in place. It consists of three layers :— (1) The epidermis mainly keratinous. This layer was left intact in all the experiments described.