On the Structure of the Muscular Substance of the Heart.—The fol-
lowing important observation is by Remak. The facts observed by him
are best seen in the thin muscular layers which can be procured, espe-
cially in sheep, from the commencement of the great veins of the neck
or the pulmonary veins. Two sets of muscular fibres can be distin-
guished ; some which run parallel, and others which are between these
and interlace,connecting the adjoining parallel fibres to each other. The
net-work formed by the connecting or intermediate fibres differs in com-
plexity in the different parts of the heart, auricles, ventricles, &c.
Sometimes, instead of these intermediate connecting fibres, the sides of
two parallel-running fibres approach, and fuse into each other fine par-
tielle I erschmelzunp; der Rander zweier Hauptfasernf The intermedi-
ate fibres are often much smaller than the parallel, and of variable
strength ; occasionally, as in the ventricles, they are as large as the
parallel fibres; it is then very difficult to make out the arrangement;
yet in no place, either in the auricle or ventricle, is this arrangement
wanting. This observation of Remak’s has been confirmed in Wurz-
burg by Virchow.—Ibid from Ibid.