74 Journal of Comparative Neurology. 



united into intricate plexuses, from which arise numerous 

 smaller branches, destined to innervate all involuntary muscle, 

 heart muscle, the viscera and the glands. 



The great majority of all the sympathetic ganglia, those 

 of the gangliated cords, the prevertebral and perhaps also the 

 terminal ganglia, are connected with the cerebro-spinal system 

 through medullated nerve fibers, which leave the medulla or cord 

 through its anterior or motor roots, and end in the ganglia. 

 These medullated nerves constitute the so-called ivJiitc rami 

 coninmnicantes of the sympathetic ganglia. Many of the sym- 

 pathetic ganglia, notably those of the gangliated cords, are fur- 

 ther connected with the spinal nerves, by means of grey rami 

 comvumicantcs. The grey rami are composed of fibers that 

 have their origin in the ganglia, which they leave to join said 

 spinal nerves. 



This portion of the ,nervous system has been variously 

 named by authors. " The older anatomists described it under 

 the name of the great intercostal nerve. The fact of its 

 being chiefly distributed to the viscera belonging to the circula- 

 tory, the digestive and generative systems led Chausier to give 

 it the term tri- splanchnic nerve, and under the supposition that 

 it alone influenced the organic processes it was termed by 

 Bichat the nervous system of organic life. The term sympathetic 

 system, or great sympathetic, was given it by Winslow from 

 its being believed to be the channel through which are affected 

 the different sympathies sometimes found to exist between dis- 

 tant organs when in morbid condition". [7]* And this term, 

 although not so well chosen is now almost universally used. 



A subject of frequent debate among earlier writers was, 

 whether the sympathetic system was to be looked upon as an 

 independent nervous system or as dependent on the cerebro- 

 spinal system. Bichat(2), Reil, Bidder and Volkmann maintain- 

 ed it was functionally and structurally distinct, while Valentine 

 and his followers denied its independence and described it as 

 a modified cerebro-spinal nerve. The many questions involved 

 in these discussions could however receive no definite answers 



*The nunibcrR>n(',loRed iu brackets refer to the literary references at the end of article. 



