On out-lying nerve-cells in the mammalian spinal-cord / by C.S. Sherrington ; communicated by M. Foster.

  • Sherrington, Charles Scott, Sir, 1857-1952.
Date:
1890
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On out-lying nerve-cells in the mammalian spinal-cord / by C.S. Sherrington ; communicated by M. Foster. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    fibres. That these distant cells are to be considered as belonging to the group of the lateral horn is to be inferred from the similarity of them to those in shape and size. Tlipy are of oval figure, with the long axis in the transverse plane of the cord. They are of the same size as, or slightly larger than, the lateral horn-cells. Five of them, taken without selection, measured respectively 32, 30, 34, 33, and 29 p, giving the average of 31'6 p. Five cells taken from the lateral cornu in the same prepara- tions measured respectively 30, 35, 26, 28, and 31 p,, giving an average for the five of 30 [X. They are, moreover, arranged with their long axes upon lines which radiate backwards and outwards from the lateral cornu, suggesting a common oi’igin from that point (lig. 4, Plate 3). They appear to be more numerous in the Human cord than in the other of the cords examined. The vertical fibres of the white matter in which they lie embedded belong to the area of the lateral column, called by Flechsig tlie lateral limiting layer ; l)ut it may well be that those lying furthest out are beyond this layer, and within the area of the crossed pyramidal tract. The arrangement of the cells in the transverse plane, and the coincidence of the longer axis of the cell-body with the direction of the medullated fibres running horizontally in the same connective tissue septa as contain the cells, suggest, however, that the cells are connected with tlie horizontal fibres radiating lietween the grey matter and the white column, rather than with the vertical fibres of the cohnnn. But the hori- zontal fibres must be in turn continuous with certain of the vertical ; with which of these, however, is a question that at present there is no possibility of deciding. To the dorsal side of the lateral horn, and often continuous with it, e.g., in the lower part of the cervical eidargement, is the processus reticularis. It merges dorsally in the lateral portion of the cervix and caput cornu dorsalis. In the l)ars of its reticulum made up of many interlacing hoj-izontally and vertically running bands of fibres, numerous ganglion cells exist. For the most part, the cells seem attached to those bands of tbe interlacement which are horizontal. They present more variety of form than do the previously mentioned groups, and they seem to be equally numerous upon frontally running, and upon sagitally running bands of the formation. Many are small and fusiform, and many are somewhat larger and triangular. The triangular cells resemble closely the cells above-described in the bands of the white commissure, and likened by Scuiefferdeckeii* to arrow-heads in their shape. The cells of the reticularis tnay, one must imagine, be related to the numerous small ganglion cells, chiefly fusiform, but often triangular, which occupy the grey matter bordering on the processus. These, as Clarke stated,! lie for the most pai't with their length parallel to the nearest portion of free edge of‘ the grey substance, except that the dee})er lying of them are mostly directed outward, as if belonging to continuations of the cross- running transverse fibres of the commissures. These cells point into the bars of extension of the grey matter which form the roots of the processus reticularis, and * Lor. cit.