12 University of California PuMications in Anatomy [^'ol. 2 



force us to the conclusion that the whole auditory cortex has the 

 receptive function and is at the same time subservient to all the higher 

 integrative or associative processes of audition. In the latter case 

 there would hardly exist any local or areal differences in auditory 

 performance; at any rate the diversity of the central auditory pro- 

 cesses would have to be explained in quite a different way. 



As to the third main afferent system of the cerebral cortex, the 

 visual system, especially the central portion of the visual path (visual 

 radiation) and its cortical termination, the majority of contemporary 

 authorities adhere to the conception first formulated by Wilbrand, 

 Henschen, and Flechsig. According to this, and in opposition to 

 Monakow and other decentralists (Hitzig, Gudden, Loeb, Luciani, 

 Goltz, Dejerine, Edinger, Bernheimer, Wehrli, S. I. Franz, Stauffen- 

 berg, Winkler, Goldstein, et al.; see also Economo-Koskinas, p. 655), 

 the central visual path has its only subcortical origin in the external 

 geniculate body of the between-brain, forms a definite fiber system of 

 the hemisphere, the so-called external or lateral sagittal stratum of 

 the parieto-occipital lobe (H. Sachs), and has its exclusive cortical 

 termination in the striate area of Elliot Smith, field 17 of Brod- 

 mann, the OC of Economo-Koskinas. Besides, the striate area 

 represents a faithful copy of the retina. It was the patient work of 

 Flechsig, Henschen, Wilbrand, and also of other numerous anatomists 

 (Hosel, Probst, Niessl von Mayendorf, La Salle Archambault, Meyer, 

 Ronne, Brouwer, 1917 and 1930; Wenderowic, R. A. Pfeifer, 1925 

 and 1930; Putnam, et al.), corroborated by experiments (Munk, 

 Minkowski, Bechterew, Brouwer-Zeeman, Overbosch, Brouwer-Heuven- 

 Biemond, Heuven, Foerster, 1929, et al.) that established this 

 opinion which has now had confirmation in the numerous experiences 

 of the World War and later (Uhthoff, Marie-Chatelin, Holmes-Lister, 

 Saenger, Best, Holmes, Lenz, Chatelin, Souques, Kleist, Axenfeld, and 

 especially Foerster, 1929, et al.). We must admit, however, that all 

 this accumulated e\adence for the existence of a single, definite central 

 visual path terminating in a single, sharply delimited cortical area 

 identical with the area striata and apparently confirming the con- 

 ception of the fixed projection of the retina upon the cortex is by some 

 investigators by no means regarded as conclusive and unassailable. 

 (The anatomical control of the numerous pathological cases is quite 

 scanty.) This is well illustrated by \dews expressed recently by 

 Goldstein (1927, pp. 600, 729). Goldstein not only adheres to Mona- 

 kow 's ideas of a threefold subcortical origin of the \'isual radiation 



