Huber-DeWitt, Nerve- Endings in Muscles. 173 



Consequent on the results obtained with the methylene 

 blue method in staining other nerve end-organs, this method 

 was also employed to stain the nerve ending in striped muscle tis- 

 sue, and there now exist a number of communications, giving 

 results obtained with this method, of which observations, those 

 of Arnstein, Cuccati, Gerlach, Feist, Dogiel and Retzius will 

 be considered. 



In discussing our own observations, those made on the 

 rabbit will first be considered. Here, as in many other verte- 

 brates (Reptilia, Birds and Mammals), a localized ending, a 

 motoriai end-plate, is found, presenting a more or less distinct 

 elevation at the point of entrance of the nerve fiber. 



The relation of the "motoriai end-plate" or the " motor 

 ending " to the muscle fiber may first be discussed. The great 

 majority of all the observers are in accord in regarding the mo- 

 tor end-plate as under the sarcolemma, although some few ob- 

 servers still describe it as outside of the sarcolemma ; Kolliker, 

 closing his remarks touching this point, says, "das sowohl eine 

 hypolemmale als eine epilemmale Lage derselben (motoriai 

 end-plate), ihre Vertheidiger hat ;" while Bohm and Davidofif 

 refer to it as " der am meisten bestrittene Punkt ;" and Krause 

 regards the end-plate as the continuation of Henle's sheath, 

 which surrounds the entire end-organ and unites it to the 

 sarcolemma. 



Cross sections are of course most suitable for answering 

 this question. No doubt the difficulty experienced by Kuhne 

 and van Syckle in making cross sections of motor endings 

 stained in gold chloride has deterred many from further pur- 

 suance of this procedure, and yet the results obtained by them, 

 if one may judge from Kiihne's account and figures (Fig. 30 to 

 40, Plate B.) show most clearly that the end plate is under the 

 sarcolemma, as does also Fig. 79 of Bohm and Davidoff's text- 

 book. 



In Fig. 6, 7 and 8, are shown three longitudinal sections 

 and in Fig. 9, 10 and 11, three cross sections of motor end- 

 ings taken from longitudinal and cross sections of rabbit's mus- 

 cle, the nerves of which had been stained in methylene blue, 



