Wilder, Neural Terms. 275 



chosen (constructively) by Owen when (in 1862, " On the Aye- 

 Aye," Zool. Trans., V, 86, and perhaps earlier) he employed 

 post-caval vein and prc-caval vein. Later, the hyphen was 

 omitted, and in the " Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates " 

 occur "postcaval vein, postcaval trunk, postcaval orifice, and 

 postcaval," I, 503-505; II, 203; III, 552 et seq. Pending 

 the discovery in Owen's writings of some history of the stages 

 by which the final reduction was effected, the following series 

 is certainly thinkable : — (i) Vena cava posterior; (2) Posterior 

 vena cava ; (3) Posterior caval vein ; (4) Post, caval vein ; (5) 

 Post-caval vein ; (6) Postcaval vein ; (7) Postcaval ; (8) Postcava. 

 Whatever may have been the actual steps, never did Owen 

 reach a more final terminologic result, and no case better 

 exemplifies the unwisdom of the reactionary attitude of the 

 German committee. 



§179. Since Professor His offers no specific objections to 

 postcava their nature can only be inferred from his general re- 

 marks and from his criticisms of inedipeduncnlns. Perhaps there- 

 fore the simplest and most comprehensive rejoinder is to recap- 

 itulate briefly the several attributes of the term, leaving each 

 reader to estimate their value for himself. Besides references 

 to this article, the initial G will indicate terms adopted by the 

 Anatomische Gesellschaft, or attributes commended by that 

 body. 



{a) Brevity; §§40, 50; G., §158, 3. {b) Latin form; 

 §50; G., §158, I. (c) It is a mononym ; §^15, 47. {d) It is 

 a locative name ; §27. {e) It is an adjectival locative ; §29. 

 (/") It is capable of inflection, i.e., postcavalis, postcaval, post- 

 cavals. (g) Its various national representatives (paronyms 

 §§43-45) differ little or none from the international antecedent. 

 (/i) It has in the derivative, postcaval, high authority (Richard 

 Owen) and moderate antiquity (1862 or earlier). (/) It is an 

 idionym (§24) and not likely to be applied to any other part in 

 any vertebrate, (k) It is sufficiently euphonious, and easily re- 

 membered. (/) Like other euphonious and easily remembered 

 mononyms it constitutes no bar to the progress of one who may 

 never have heard the more common polyonyms. Those who 



