66 MORRILL. [VoL. XIV. 
sesses different chemical or physical properties from its central 
portions, and that this will explain its physiological action. 
Cajal ('94) agrees in fundamental points with Retzius, van 
Gehuchten, and Lenhossék. He found some of the nerves end- 
ing free not far from the surface in varicose enlargements, while 
other similar fibers terminate in a very small number of cases 
outside the limits of the cristae acusticae. The nerve fibers 
were varicose. 
The branches distal to the bipolar cells he considers as 
protoplasmic processes, while the smaller nerve fibers extending 
internally from the bipolar cells are the true nerves. 
He did not find the network of nerve fibers below the hair 
cells described by Lenhossék, but thinks it probably due to the 
fact that they did not study animals at the same stages. Cajal 
studied foetal rats, while Lenhossék made his observations on 
rats several days old. 
Retzius ('94a) later studied successive stages in the reptiles, 
and arrives at the important conclusion that the sensory nerve 
fibers grow from within outward: “Weil es zeigt das Nerven- 
fasern von centraler Seite nach Peripherie hin wachsen und 
nicht von Aufang an von den Haarzellen entspringen oder mit 
ihnen zusammenhangen.”’ This statement, if confirmed, will 
explain Lenhossék’s finding the free endings so far from the 
surface. He also found, as in his earlier observations, some of 
the nerves ending in contact with the hair cells, but a greater 
number passed between the hair cells to end free near the 
surface. 
There was never a direct connection of nerve fiber and hair 
cells, although both may be blackened by the chromate of silver 
so that they appear to be connected. In a single instance he 
saw a nerve fiber extending into the general epithelium of the 
ampulla. Whether these fibers were sensory or not could not 
be determined. Branching of nerve fibers, after passing the 
proximal ends of the hair cells, was occasionally noticed. 
Retzius ('94b) confirms Ayer’s ('93) observation on multipolar 
cells in the cochlear ganglion in finding cells with three proc- 
esses, but did not find those with more processes. He thinks 
that Lenhossék lays too much stress on the horizontal distribu- 
