The Journal of 

 Comparative Neurology and Psychology 



Volume XIV 1904 Number 5 



RETROGRADE DEGENERATION IN THE CORPUS 

 CALLOSUM OE THE WHITE RAT. 



By S. Wai.tiiK Ranson. 



[hioiii llic \'euiolo;^ical Lahoratoiy of the Uuh't'isily ot Cliicngo and the Anatomical 

 La/iorato) y of Si. Louis University.) 



Willi I'hitc VII 

 SUMMARY OK THE LITERATURE. 



It was maintained by Wali er (6) and those who imniedi- 

 ately followed him that the end of tiie nerve fiber attached to 

 the cell bod)' did not deijenerate as the result of section of the 

 fiber Evidence has, however, been steadily accumulating to 

 show that this view is incorrect. The facts bearing on this point 

 have been brought together by Eleming (i), Klippel and Du- 

 rante (2), and VAN Gehuchten (4). These authors review the 

 literature in great detail ; but only the briefest summary will be 

 given here, and this will be based chielly on the excellent re- 

 view by VAN GEUucirn<.N- 



The first observations not in harmony with the law of 

 Wali EK were made upon cases of long standing amputation. 

 Atrophy of the ventral and dorsal root fibers and of the part of 

 the spinal cord associated with the nerves of the amputated limb 

 has been found in these cases. (Dickinson, '68, Vulpian, '68, 

 Havem and Gilbert. '84, Makinesco, '92, and others). Ex- 

 perimental amputations of the limbs of animals, involving sec- 

 tion of the peripheral nerves, have confirmed these observations 

 (Vulpian, '69 and Hayem, '73), and shown the presence of fibers 

 with fragmented myelin in the central ends of the cut nerves. 

 Degenerating fibers wi-re also found in the ventral and dorsal 

 nerve roots and in the dorsal fasciculi of the cord. (Dark- 

 SCHEWITSCH, '92 and Moschaew, '93). 



