FINER STRUCTURE OF SYNAPSE 151 



tro,' to express the condition of nerve fibers in the synapse; but 

 he did not give any statement about the behavior of the fibers 

 with reference to each other. We find nerve fibers of multi- 

 farious directions and ramifications of the fibers are very often 

 observed; but the anastomosis formation between them and 

 even the net formation of the nerve fibers could not at all be ob- 

 served in the 'axone cap.' The nerve fibers of the axone cap 

 showed also the 'bontones' and the minute rings. The whole 

 condition of the synapse is, generally speaking, similar to that 

 of the lateral dendrite. 



Cajal (13) stated and figured that the endings of nerve fibers 

 come in contact with the cell surface not only by his 'bontones 

 de Auerbach' and the minute rings, but also by means of the 

 'bontones de trajecto.' His figure 9 indicates that the latter lies 

 quite close to the cell membrane of the ganglion cell. Economo 

 (15) claimed to have observed that the axis-cylinder enters into 

 connection with the nerve cell by multiple terminal feet, run- 

 ring on the surface of the ganglion cell. Heidenhain (16) de- 

 clared further that most of the nerve cells carry a very thick pelt 

 of end-knobs. As already described, there was no evidence in 

 my preparations of the connection between the cell surface and 

 the 'bontones de trajecto.' At least I can state that I have 

 found many of these 'bontones' quite free and remote from the 

 cell surface. The figures of Cajal (13) and Economo (15) do not 

 prove that they are connected with the latter. I have the idea 

 that they present merely an optical illusion, caused by the nerve 

 fibers with those 'bontones' passing quite near the nerve cell. 



Cajal (12) at first characterized his 'bontones' as spheroidal 

 or elongated structures, impregnated solidly or at the most 

 punched. He regarded them as the foundation of his contact 

 theory, as he beUeved to have found that the nerve fibers end 

 on the cell surface with those structures. Dogiel (14) also de- 

 scribed ring- or net-shaped terminal structures and remained a 

 partisan of the contact theory. According to Held's (19, 20) 

 observation with Cajal's method, the neurofibrils of his terminal 

 feet form a net-work and communicate directly with the neuro- 



