Adipose Tissue

Adipose Tissue, or fatty tissue, is widely distributed throughout the human body; a layer of it exists beneath the skin, and its presence there is of considerable importance in maintaining the temperature of the body, fat being a bad conductor of heat. Among parts which are devoid of adipose tissue may be mentioned the subcutaneous tissue of the eyelids. Microscopically it consists of little vesicles, which present a sharply defined edge, and are composed of a structureless ensheathing membrane of protoplasm, forming a sort of microscopic bag, in which fatty matter is contained. A good example of such fat globules may be readily seen in a drop of milk when examined under the microscope, but here the globules float freely in the containing fluid, whereas in adipose tissue they are held together by a network of fibres.