Question

Mrs. Jones, a histologist, always makes her gelatin salad for bridge parties. How does that quivering lemon-flavored gelatin - laden with shredded cabbage, sliced almonds, and raisins - remind her of connective tissue?

Answer 1

Mrs. Jones' gelatin salad resembles connective tissue because both contain a gel-like substance that supports various elements, paralleling the ground substance in connective tissue supporting fibers and cells.

Step-by-step explanation:

Mrs. Jones' gelatin salad can be likened to connective tissue because it demonstrates the characteristic properties of a colloidal gel, similar to the extracellular matrix found in connective tissue. Gelatin itself, when cooled, forms a gel- a viscous substance that is a dispersion of a liquid within a solid matrix.

This is akin to how connective tissue has a ground substance (often compared to a gel) that supports fibers and cells, much like the shredded cabbage, sliced almonds, and raisins suspended in Mrs. Jones' gelatin.

The proteoglycans in connective tissue also trap moisture, creating a viscous, colorless matrix known as ground substance, further enhancing the metaphor between her salad and connective tissue.