FINER STRUCTURE OF SYNAPSE 137 



THE 'GOLGI NET' OF BETHE IN THE SYNAPSE OF MAUTHNER'S 



CELL 



Careful investigation of the synapse of this giant cell by means 

 of different methods revealed a most characteristic net-work, 

 which covers the cell-body as well as its processes like a basket 

 and also fills the 'axone cap' (figs. 3 and 4). There is no doubt 

 that this net-work is identified with the structure, which was 

 described for the first time by Golgi ('93) and later called the 

 Golgi net by Bethe. 



This net-work was constantly demonstrated in Mauthner's 

 cell and w^as most beautiful in the Levaditi preparations; as far 

 as I know this technic has never been applied before for the study 

 of this structure. In Ameiurus brain the net-w^ork appeared in 

 a brown or dark color, whereas in Carassius it was stained in a 

 brown to yellow color. As another advantage of this technic 

 it must be emphasized that the nerve fibers in the synapse were 

 also demonstrated as clean cut dark brown fibers simultaneously 

 'with the Golgi net, especially clear in Carassius. In the latter 

 the Golgi net substance appeared mostly yellow and the con- 

 trast with the stain of the nerve fibers was so striking that it 

 threw very good light on the problem of the mutual relation be- 

 tween both sti-uctures, which had been discussed by different 

 authors and still had remained undecided. In both Ameiurus 

 and Carassius the 'Ftillnetz' of Bethe was also stained yellow in 

 this method. 



In the Heidenhain preparations the same structures were also 

 demonstrated, especially clearly in formol-fixed material; but 

 here the Golgi net could only be observed around the cell and in 

 the 'axone cap.' On the surface of the Mauthner cell I could 

 hardly see this structure, owing to the fact that the cell-body 

 and the Golgi net appeared in too closely similar color (fig. 5). 

 In the Heidenhain preparations (fig. 7) and the thionin-eosin 

 preparations of formol-Zenker material one could hardly recog- 

 nize the Golgi net-work, unless he has impressed the picture 

 upon him in the above-mentioned preparations. In the Cajal 

 preparations the Golgi net and the Tiillnetz' were not observable. 



