FINER STRUCTURE OP SYNAPSE 149 



preparations. Bielschowsky and Wolff (11), Held (20), and 

 others took for granted that the transition of the axone-fibers 

 into the nerve cell consists of axone-plasma and fibrils. I agree 

 with this opinion. But I believe that the component of the 

 net-work, which appeared red in eosin counterstain, would be 

 the Golgi net substance, to some extent at least. The statement 

 of Bielschowsky and Wolff (11) that the simultaneous existence 

 of a glious pericellular net-work is compatible with their previous 

 findings, can no longer be maintained, on ground of my above- 

 described considerations. 



THE NERVOUS TERMINAL FEET AND THE NERVOUS TERMINAL NET 

 OF HELD AND THE NEUROFIBRIL CONTINUITY 



The connection of neurones by means of special structures 

 (nervous terminal feet) was first discovered by Held (17, 18), 

 confirmed by Auerbach (2), and popularized by Ram6n y Cajal 

 (12, 13). Through the further investigations of many authors 

 by means of Cajal's and Bielschowsky's methods many valuable 

 contributions w^ere added to this interesting and important prob- 

 lem. The question of the nervous pericellular terminal net and 

 the neurofibril continuity also has long been the subject of dis- 

 pute among the histologists. We are not as yet enlightened 

 thoroughly on these questions. 



I shall now go over these questions on the basis of my inves- 

 tigation on the Mauthner cell. In my Cajal preparations the 

 nervous elements of the synapse were demonstrated almost 

 exclusively as clean-cut deep brown fibers ; the glia nuclei were 

 the only things impregnated distinctly besides the nerve fibers. 

 Figure 8 is reproduced from a preparation of Carassius; the lat- 

 eral dendrite of Mauthner's cell is enveloped here in a sheaf of 

 unmeduUated nerve fibers. Each nerve fiber is provided with a 

 thickening, which is to be homologized with 'bontones de Auer- 

 bach' of Cajal and lies more or less close to the surface of the 

 dendrite. Besides this, some fibers have one or multiple thick- 

 enings on their way to the cell and sometimes present the pic- 

 ture of a string of pearls. There is no doubt, that these are iden- 



