Mar., 1909.] Meeting of the Biological Club. 475 



MEETING OF THE BIOLOGICAL CLUB. 



Orton Hall, December 7, 190S. 



The club was called to order by the President and the minutes 

 of the previous meeting were read and approved as read. 



The President appointed as a committee to consider a change 

 in the time of monthly meeting the following: Professors F. L. 

 Landacre, R. F. Griggs, and Mr. Arthur L. Smith. 



The following names proposed at the last meeting were elected 

 to membership: Lionel King, Malcolm Dickey, J. L. Paxton 

 and S. C. Kelton. 



Professor Lnadacre's paper on the Origin of Cranial Ganglia 

 of the Cat Fish, occupied the evening. In discussing this ques- 

 tion Professor Landacre called attention particularly to the func- 

 tional point of view in interpreting the cranial ganglia as con- 

 trasted with the strictly morphological point of view. From the 

 functional point of view there are several well defined systems 

 variously distributed throughout the cranial nerves in such a 

 manner as to best conserve the functional needs of the organism. 

 These are not symmetrically distributed either in the trunks of 

 a single metameric nerve or among the various metameric nerves. 

 But these systems can be reduced to a simple type such as that 

 found in a spinal nerve although in the head this simple type 

 becomes greatly modified. 



The obejct of the work undertaken upon Ameiurus was to 

 determine the exact mode of origin of these diverse elements of 

 the cranial nerves. The following brief outline will suffice to 

 show the principal facts brought out in the discussion: (a) The 

 general cutaneous nerve ganglia are derived in Ameiurus from 

 the lateral mass (neural crest of other types) ; (b) The acustico- 

 lateralis nerves supplying the ear and lateral line organs are less 

 homogenous in their mode of origin. 



The lateris ganglia of the Vllth nerve come from the lateral 

 mass. The Vlllth ganglion comes apparently exclusively from 

 the auditory vesicle. The lateralis IXth comes from the auditory 

 vesicle. The lateralis Xth comes from the post auditory placode. 



The close relationship of this system to the general cutaneous 

 is shown in the mode of origin of the lateralis Vllth. 



(c) The general communis ganglia come from the lateral mass. 

 The special cummunis or gustatory come from the epibranchial 

 placodes. 



The ganglia from which the cranial trunks and roots arise 

 show quite as much discreetness in their mode of origin as they 

 do in their function and distribution both central and peripheral. 



After a discussion of the paper the club was adjourned. 



Arthur H. McCray, Secy. 



