504. OTTORINO ROSSI 
The support which my findings give to Kolliker’s view of the 
afferent sympathetic paths is clear. But they are not sufficient 
to disprove the possibility of the existence of other sympathetic 
sensory paths. First, it is not certified by my observations where 
the peripheral processes arising from the described spinal ganglion 
cells end. Second, reference may also be made to some recent 
investigations performed with the method of secondary degenera- 
tion and by direct anatomical observation which seem to demon- 
strate the occurrence of afferent sympathetic fibers the trophic 
centers of which lie in the sympathetic ganglia while the processes 
run through the rami communicantes and, according to many 
workers, reach the spinal ganglia. Here it will be noticed that 
Ranson and Billingsley found, in cat XIV, after section of the 
tenth thoracic nerve distal to the spinal ganglion, a half-dozen 
normal myelinated fibers in the corresponding white ramus, but 
they do not think that they are afferent fibers, the cells of origin 
of which lie in the sympathetic ganglion. On the contrary, they 
believe that these may belong to a small gray ramus accompany- 
ing the white. It must also be mentioned that Miller, who saw 
some sympathetic fibers entering the spinal ganglion, supposed 
that they are postganglionic sympathetic fibers running through 
the ganglion to go off with the dorsal branch of the peripheral 
nerve. Such a view is supported by my finding reproduced in 
figure 7 (part of a cross-section of an embryo of Passer sardoa), 
where is shown a sympathetic nerve cell (Sym.N.C.) sending its 
postganglionic process through the corresponding spinal ganglion 
(Sp.G.) into the dorsal branch of the peripheral nerve (D.B. 
P.N.), to which runs also a fiber coming off from the anterior 
spinal root. 
Finally, in the problem of visceral sensibility the anatomists 
must not forget the recent physiological investigations of Leh- 
mann, who believes that the visceral sensory fibers run above 
all through the anterior spinal roots. 
