THE PYRAMIDAL TRACT 511 



Also some fibers were clearly seen in the anterior funiculus 

 along the anterior median fissure and these traversed the cervical 

 and thoracic regions where they disappeared. 



Rothmann ('10) employed the degeneration method in his 

 study of the pyi'amidal tract and corroborated the statement 

 that the lateral cerebro-spinal fasciculus in man as well as in the 

 higher mammals, contained crossed and uncrossed fibers but 

 stated that no anterior or direct pyramidal tract was present in 

 the latter annuals, Probst ('99) in his work with cats and dogs 

 also employed the degeneration method and obtained results 

 which differed from those of the above investigators. He found 

 that in eleven instances he could only make sure of a suggestion 

 of an anterior pyramidal tract, while in two cases he could see a 

 definitely marked anterior pyramidal tract. Thus he maintains 

 that, in most instances, several fibers of an anterior pyramidal 

 tract can be seen, while in many instances, cats and dogs have an 

 anterior pyramidal tract which is analogous to that found in 

 man. Both of these writers employed the Marchi stain in pre- 

 paring their sections. 



In the case of marsupials, Ziehen ('97) who employed the Pal- 

 Weigert stain in his work, found that the majority of the fibers 

 of the p^Tamidal tract after decussating, were located in the 

 lateral funiculus, yet a small number wended their way into the 

 anterior funiculus. 



The striking resemblance of the pyramidal tract of a rat to 

 that of a squirrel was shown by Goldstein ('04). In both these 

 animals the crossed fibers ran caudalwards in the posterior column 

 occupying its most anterior part. As seen in his figures, the 

 tracts were quite definitely outlined when the Marchi stain was 

 used. 



The varied conclusions reached by the different investigators 

 who used the Marchi method in staining their material may 

 be due, as stated by Rothmann ('10), to the Niederschlage or 

 precipitates. These little specks, Korner, which can be met in 

 the field and which often form groups should not be interpreted 

 as degenerated fibers when the Marchi method is resorted to in 

 the study of the tract. This same difficulty was encountered 



