In the pectoral cavity, it is upon the median line that the cellular texture is especially found; it is abundant in the space formed by the duplicature of the mediastinum; the neighbourhood of the pericardium is supplied with it, particularly around the great vessels, which it accompanies a short distance; the rest of the thorax, occupied by the lungs, contains much less of it.
The pectoral texture communicates with the abdominal, 1st. by the different openings of the diaphragm, by that of the aorta, and particularly of the œsophagus; that of the vena cava being too closely united to that vessel, to permit these communications easily; 2d. by the opening of the diaphragmatic fibres, especially by the triangular space, through which those pass that are attached to the ensiform cartilage; hence the passage of the deposits from the thorax to the abdomen. Desault mentions a purulent collection, first formed in the neck, and which by the anterior mediastinum, became prominent just above the abdomen. Hence the facility with which the pleura particularly on the right side receives the influence of diseases of the peritoneum, when this is diseased on the convex surface of the liver which always keeps its place, whilst by the motions of the stomach and the spleen, that which covers those two viscera, which are constantly changing their situation, has a much less decided influence upon the left pleura.
The cellular communications of the chest take place also from the interior to the exterior, by the interstices between the intercostal muscles, but they are not very evident, as these interstices are very small; thus the diseases of the breast have rarely any influence out of this cavity; this happens however when in dropsies and chronic inflammations of the pleura, the pectoral integuments have an adhesion to the diseased side.
The exterior cellular texture of the chest, is very abundant above; it there surrounds the breasts and contributes in part to those rounded forms that delight us in women, and those prominent ones which we admire in a well formed man. We see it in great quantities under the pectoral muscles; below it diminishes in a very evident manner.
Abdominal cellular texture.
The abdomen contains, in proportion a little more cellular texture than the thorax. In the interior of this cavity, this texture is found collected in the places where the great arteries and veins enter the gastric organs, as in the fissure of the liver, the mesentery, &c. It is not abundant between the peritoneum and the anterior and lateral parietes of the abdomen, but it is so on the posterior part of this membrane, particularly about the kidnies. This interior texture communicates at first with that of the pelvis, all around the peritoneum, then with that of the lower extremities, by different openings, by the inguinal ring and especially by the crural arch. The first of these openings establishes also a cellular correspondence between the abdomen and genital organs, particularly in man. We can easily prove these communications by injecting a fluid into the abdominal cellular texture of a dead body. This fluid goes spontaneously to the inferior extremities, whilst it requires a long continued force to drive it to the superior. All practitioners know, that there is hardly any case of ascites, in which the lower extremities are not swelled, while the superior are unaltered. It is then with the abdominal cellular texture, that that of the inferior extremities has a particular relation, as it is with the pectoral that that of the superior corresponds, as has been observed by Bordeu and Portal. It is to be remarked however, that the first are affected much more easily in the diseases of the abdomen, than the second are in those of the chest.
Cellular texture of the h5elvis.
There are but few parts in which the cellular texture is more abundant than in the pelvis. Around the bladder, rectum and womb there is a great quantity of it, it is found no where more abundantly. This appears to me to be the cause of it; that, as these three organs are subject to great dilatation, and as the osseous parietes of the pelvis cannot yield to these dilatations, like the abdominal parietes, it is necessary that something should so act, that in whatever state the preceding organs may be, the cavity of the pelvis should be always filled. If the motions of the brain alternately increased and diminished the size of this organ, the bony cavity of the cranium would have been lined without doubt with cellular texture.
Besides we know the effect of this large quantity of cellular texture in the pelvis, in deposits which take place in the neighbourhood of the anus, in infiltrations of urine which accompany ruptures of the urethra and bladder. The facility with which pus and urine spread themselves in this part and the mischief they occasion, are well known.
This texture communicates with that of the inferior extremities by the ischiatic notch, by the arch of the pubis, &c. Different authors mention, that effusions of pus and urinous infiltrations extend downwards by these communications. We can fill the pelvis with air, by blowing this fluid into the inferior extremities, especially in their intermuscular texture.