Physiology and Hygiene for Secondary Schools
Book Excerpt
In addition to forming the body, the tissues supply the means through which its work is carried on. They are thus the working materials of the body. In serving this purpose the tissues play an active rôle. All of them must perform the activities of growth and repair, and certain ones (the so-called active tissues) must do work which benefits the body as a whole.
*Purposes of the Different Tissues.*--In the construction of the body and also in the work which it carries on, the different tissues are made to serve different purposes. The osseous tissue is the chief substance in the bony framework, or skeleton, while the muscular tissue produces the different movements of the body. The connective tissue, which is everywhere abundant, serves the general purpose of connecting the different parts together. Cartilaginous tissue forms smooth coverings over the ends of the