AUTHOR’S ABSTRACT OF THIS PAPER ISSUED 
BY THE BIBLIOGRAPHIC SERVICE, JULY 24 
ON THE AFFERENT PATHS OF THE SYMPATHETIC 
NERVOUS SYSTEM, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE 
TO NERVE CELLS OF SPINAL GANGLIA SENDING 
THEIR PERIPHERAL PROCESSES INTO THE RAMI 
COMMUNICANTES 
OTTORINO ROSSI 
Clinic of Nervous and Mental Diseases of the University of Sassari 
SEVEN FIGURES 
During the last ten years our interest in studies concerning 
the sympathetic system has increased progressively, as clinical 
applications of the knowledge gradually acquired have become 
manifest. Consequently, there is an increasing number of in- 
vestigators who carefully attempt to clarify the numerous prob- 
lems of anatomy, physiology, and physiopathology which, up to 
the present time, are still under discussion in this intricate field. 
Anatomists occupy themselves especially with two subjects of 
paramount importance. ‘These are: the connections of the sym- 
pathetic system and the origin and course of its afferent path. On 
the other hand, studies of the morphology of the sympathetic 
ganglion cells have decreased, since the description given by 
Cajal (1) by the aid of his silver method. Serious contributions 
to this subject have, however, appeared, of which I may be per- 
mitted to recall those of my pupil, Riquier (2), on the morphology 
of the cells of the ganglion oticum and the junction between spinal 
and sympathetic ganglia of the turtle. 
In order to examine as closely as possible the two problems 
mentioned, anatomists, who follow to-day a procedure more and 
more biological, have been less inclined to employ direct observa- 
tion of pictures which we are able to secure with present methods 
of staining normal nervous tissues than physiological experi- 
mentation and study of the changes produced by injuries to 
some portion of the sympathetic itself or other nervous structures 
which are supposed to be in relation with it. 
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