Geological Society, 489 



trie, vaginal, vesical and uterine ganglia are delineated in the fourth 

 month of pregnancy, and also the plexuses of nerves on the anterior 

 surface of the uterus. 



From an examination with the microscope of portions of the 

 plexuses under the peritoneum of a gravid uterus in the ninth month, 

 which had long been immersed in rectified spirit, Professor Owen 

 and Mr. Kiernan inferred that they were not nervous plexuses, but 

 bands of elastic tissue, gelatinous tissue, or cellular membrane. 



The author concludes his paper with a letter from John Dalrym- 

 ple, Esq., containing the results of the observations he had made 

 with the microscope on the uterine nerves in the recent state. Fila- 

 ments of the nerves which surrounded the ureter, and which were 

 situated upon the body of the uterus, were submitted to the micro- 

 scope. The instrument employed was a veiy powerful object-glass, 

 whose focus was the eighth of an inch, made by Ross. Mr. Dal- 

 rymple found that it was impossible, even with the most careful dissec- 

 tion, to detach any filament of nerve without including a quantity of 

 cellular and elastic tissue ; so that although the tubular portion indi- 

 cating the nerve was distinct, yet it was surrounded by innumerable 

 extremely minute threads coiled and contorted, such as those which 

 constitute the component of elastic tissue, and the ultimate element 

 of cellular membrane. Under slight pressure, however, the tube was 

 plainly discernible, and was found to contain granular matter, not 

 uniformly distributed, but collected in minute masses at intervals. 

 Small blood-vessels were also here and there seen, with blood-discs 

 within them, which served to indicate the difference between the 

 nervous and vascular tubes, and thus to avoid the possibility of error. 

 Being, however, aware that some of the most distinguished foreign 

 microscopical anatomists had differed as to what was the real cha- 

 racteristic of the nerves of the sympathetic system, and feeling, from 

 this discordance of opinion, that there was no absolute test, or at 

 least none which was not open to cavil, Mr. Dalrymple thought of 

 making a comparison of the uterine nerves with those that undenia- 

 bly belonged to the ganglionic system. He therefore traced some 

 nerves on the surface of the stomach up to the great ganglion that 

 gave them origin ; and he selected some also from the small intestine. 

 These he submitted to thg same microscopical power, and under the 

 same circumstances of light, and pressure, and medium. In all of 

 these he observed the tubular part filled with granular matter, and 

 similarly collected in minute masses. He also observed that each 

 tube was surrounded by the minute serpentine threads before de- 

 scribed. In fact, so closely did they agree in every particular with 

 the appearances presented by the uterine nerves, that it would have 

 been impossible to distinguish the one from the other. 



GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



[Continued from p. 402.] 



March 24, 1841. — The reading of the paper on Russia, by Mr. 

 Murchison and M. E. de VerneuU, was resumed and concluded. 



