504i THE JfATlTRAL HISTORY RETTF.T7. 



pezium. Tlie gradual development of the various parts of the grey 

 matter of the spinal cord as they pass upwards towards the brain is 

 carefully worked out ; the rise and fall of the nuclei of the special 

 nerves, — arranged as they are in two series, the hypoglossal abduces, 

 facial and molar part of trigeminus in one line, and the spinal 

 accessory, vagal glossopharyngeal, auditory and sensor part of 

 trigeminus in another, — are fully described ; the accessory ganglia, 

 viz. the upper and lower olivary, the restiform, and postpyramidal 

 bodies, &c., are investigated; and the relations of all these parts to 

 each other and to the nerve roots are discussed at length. The 

 author has naturally found that a large part of his work ended in a 

 corroboration of the results arrived at by other observers. Par- 

 ticularly striking is tlie coincidence of his descriptions and views 

 with those of our own Lockhart Clarke. In several instances he omits 

 a detailed account, because, as he candidly and modestly states, the 

 facts had been previously so well and accurately described by the Eng- 

 lish anatomist, that his own words would read like a mere quotation. 

 We are not so fertile in original observers as not to feel gratified by 

 such praise as this, coming as it does, too, from the other side of the 

 Atlantic ; and may well be proud of a man of whom it may almost 

 be said that he described nothing which he has not seen, and seen • 

 nothing that was not visible. 



In speaking of Dr. Dean's work as being in great measure cor- 

 roborative rather than new, we do not in any way intend to depre- 

 ciate it. On the contraiy, seeing what a host of discordant and 

 conflicting opinions almost always rise up round every fresh point in 

 biological science, we may perhaps feel inclined to attribute very 

 great importance indeed to faithful and clenching work of corrobora- 

 tion. For the establishment of a scientific verdict there should be 

 at least two witnesses, and the second should share, in large measure, 

 the credit of the first. fiohsfti 



But, besides corroborative work, there is in this memoir, a great 

 deal of new matter, consisting mainly of elaboration of points pre- 

 viously determined and of correction of erroneous ideas. Labour of 

 this kind can only be properly appreciated by going over the same 

 ground with the scalpel and the microscope ; but we may call atten- 

 tion to one or two points which are of especial importance, since 

 they have been made the basis for some physiological reasoning, and 

 have been brought prominently before the English medical public in 

 the translation of the work of the late Schroeder van der Kolk, pub- 



