546 Miscellaneous. 



the substance of the optic, olfactory, and auditory nerves, as well as 

 that of the brain and spinal chord, Dr. Barry employed for the most 

 part such as had been preserved in spirit ; and, besides using ex- 

 tremely minute portions, he very often avoided adding any covering 

 whatever, the weight of thin mica itself being sufficient to rupture 

 or to flatten this delicate substance, and thus entirely prevent its 

 structure from being seen. In the parts last mentioned, he finds red 

 discs, which pass first into rings, and then into spirals. In fasciculi 

 from the spinal chord, and surrounded by spiral filaments, he met 

 with a "band-like axis," which perhaps corresponds to that of Re- 

 mak in the nerves : but if so, Dr. Barry's observations go farther 

 even than Remak's. The " axis " described by this observer was 

 found by him to be susceptible of division into filaments. So also 

 is the one described by Dr. Barry. But the latter adds, that each 

 filament is a compound object, which enlarges, and, from analogy, 

 may contain the elements of future structures, formed by division 

 and subdivision, to which no limits can be assigned. The sperma- 

 tozoa, mentioned in the abstract, were from the epididymis of a per- 

 son who had died suddenly. The depression noticed in their discoid 

 extremity — corresponding apparently to the •' sugient orifice " of 

 some authors — is probably analogous to the source of new substance 

 in other discs. In these examinations, Dr. Barry has generally added 

 to the objects dilute spirit (sp. gr. about 0*940), containing about 

 2^y th of corrosive sublimate. Spirals from the leaf- stalk of the 

 strawberry, after the addition of this reagent, were seen to have di- 

 vided into parallel filaments having the same structure as those above 

 described. Flax presented a quadruple coil of such filaments. In 

 early states of voluntary muscle also, there were seen double and 

 quadruple coils, evidently produced by the same means — division. 

 Dr. Barry compares the appearance of the vegetable " dotted duct," 

 in its several stages, with that of objects found in mould, in the 

 cornea, in the crystalline lens, and in voluntary muscle ; all of which 

 are produced by associations of minute spiral threads. The distri- 

 bution of the remarkable filaments above described is so universal, 

 that they are found in silk, in the incipient feather, in hair, in the 

 feather-like objects from the wing of the butterfly and gnat, and in 

 the spider's web. 



Dr. Barry informs us that he has had the opportunity of showing 

 to several physiologists the principal appearances describee! in his 

 memoir on fibre. And Professor Owen permits him to state, that 

 he has exhibited to him spirals in voluntary muscle, — muscular 

 " fibrillae " having a flat, grooved, and compound form, — the fila- 

 mentous structure of the " white substance in nervous fibre," — the 

 vegetable spiral becoming double by division, — a coiled filament 

 within red blood-discs, — and the incipient unwinding of the coil in 

 coagulating blood. 



