54 CHARLES F. W. MC CLURE, 



Summary of Results. 



1. The nerve cells of Gastropods (Helix, Avion and Limax) contain 

 a large number of small bodies which appear granular in character 

 and which are arranged chiefly in rows. 



2. The granules are found exclusively in the cell body, and possess 

 an affinity for certain dyes, which differs essentially from that 

 of all other structures (nuclei excepted), within or without the 

 cell (as cell fibrils, ground-substance and neuroglia fibrils). 



3. The granules are stained exclusively by the methylen blue, when 

 the latter is used in combination with eosin ; and by safran in 

 or fuchsin, when the latter are used in combination with light green. 



4. The granules are also clearly brought out in freshly isolated 

 nerve cells {Limax) which have been progressively stained in a 

 methylen blue solution. 



5. In sublimate and Flemming preparations stained by the pro- 

 gressive iron-haematoxylin method , the small granules retain 

 their stain more tenaciously when differentiated, than other 

 structures in the cell (as fibrils and ground-substance). The 

 result of this is that the particular region of the cell in which 

 granules are present (cell body) appears by contrast much deeper 

 stained than that in which the granules are absent (axis-cylinder 

 process and "Polstelle" in cell body at base of process). 



6. In these sections, one also finds, in the cell body, localized 

 spindle-shaped collections of small granules (spindles), which 

 closely resemble the "Körner" found in the nerve cells of certain 

 Vertebrates. 



7. In view of the specific affinity shown by these granular bodies 

 for certain dyes, the writer regards them as essentially homo- 

 logous with the chromophilous substance found in the nerve cells 

 of Vertebrates. 



8. Fibrils were found in the axis-cylinder processes and cell bodies 

 of these nerve cells. In methylen blue-eosin and safranin-, 

 fuchsin-light green preparations, the cell fibrils and those of 

 the neuroglia were stained by the same dyes as the ground- 

 substance (by the eosin and light green respectively). In each 

 case, however, the cell fibrils may be distinguished from the 

 ground-substance by virtue of the fact, that the fibrils stain more 

 deeply than the latter. 



