)\ I Hi; \.\ Tl KK OF THE CAXALICULAR APPARATl- 



OF ANIMAL CELLS. 1 



R. R. BENSLEY. 



I Miring i In- i \\vl\r years that have elapsed since the discovery 

 In- internal reticular apparatus of the nerve cell, 

 mini) .itti -nti'iii h.i-, l>een devoted by investigators to the c>n- 

 -ider.ttii.n "t -iinil.tr reticular structures in cells. Our knowledge 

 h.i- pi 1 nig several different lines, which have been 



determined IIH .re . >r less by the techniques employed by dit- 

 nt in\ . and although all are not agreed as to the 



t tin -inn tures so revealed, their consideration to- 

 gether in-tilk-d by the great similarity in configu- 

 ration .UK! 1 . \\hiih these elements jx)ssess. 



It i- ii"' in this paper to review in extenso the liter- 



. it iin i .11 i hi- t"i.ir. for that is well covered by the summary 

 vM\en by Holmgren (*O2) in Mi-rkel und Bonnet, Ergebnisse, 

 . in \\hirh also the difTert-nt theories of the nature of these 

 Mrii< tun > are \\rll brought out. The more recent contribu- 

 tions .lit ti.ii-idt !<! in the article of von Bergen ('04) and that 

 ft I .t o n.lre (.'oS-'OQ). It will suffice here to summarize the 

 |.ri>^rr-. th.it has been made along the different lines of inves- 

 ition, antl to considi r the- interpretations of these structures 

 uhith ha\t I . t n .nlvanced by different workers. 



1 lir-t described the internal reticular apparatus 



in tin 1 1 II I'-irkifije of the cerebellar cortex, where he dem n- 

 -tr.itt (1 it by iiK.in- < .1 a miKlification of his well-known chrome 

 >il\ir imprr^n.itinti nu-thod. IK- describes it as a closed net 

 "I lint- tiU-r- LI fiiji\ing the intermediate zone of the cell pro- 

 ii.pl.i-m and separated by a distinct interval from the nucl M- 

 . .n tin- LIU- hand .unl from the surface of the cell on the other, 

 that i- to -.i\. tin re was a zone of protoplasm on the periphery 

 ..t tin (rll \\ltirh \\.i- wholly free from the fibers con-tit mini; 

 tin- nrt\\ork. T.\. id the nucleus the net sent out fine fi ber- 

 th. it the ].t riiiinK ar space was not \\holly de\i.id ot fibers. 

 1 i. >in tin- Hull I ;il'. .ratory of Anatomy, t'ni . ;o. 



