26o Journal of Comparative Neurology. 



originate in the substance of the cell-body, or they do not orig- 

 inate in the cell-body, or there are fibrils which originate in 

 cell-bodies and others which originate outside of the cell-body. 

 He goes as far as to say : ' it is therefore quite possible that 

 there are cells which originate purely fibrils and others, through 

 which fibrils take their course without there arising any fibrils 

 in them.' 



The fact is that we have no idea at present where these 

 fibrils originate, and it is this consideration that led me to see a 

 possible complication of the neurone-theory in analogy with the 

 results of Weigert's neuroglia-theory. As far as we can see now 

 there is, however, only a logical similarity, not a similarity of 

 fact in the two questions. In the neuroglia, Weigert sees fibers 

 independent of cells and where they are in connection with cells 

 they simply pass through the protoplasm. The Becker-method 

 produces fibrils within the ' protoplasm,' but Nissl is unable to 

 see fibrils originate in the cell-body ; he suggests that they 

 might originate in the dendrites ; but he also says (page 64) : 

 ' it is also easily possible that there are cells which merely give 

 origin to fibrils and others through which fibrils take their 

 course without there arising any fibrils. ' This leads to compli- 

 cations which will only be cleared up when a good method for 

 the nerve cell fibrils is available, such as Bethe is said to have 

 discovered. 



That the axone or neurite contains fibrils is admitted by 

 most writers now. Held and Lenhossek admit this but deny 

 the view that they are continued beyond the cone of origin of 

 the neurite into the cell-body. It is almost useless to discuss 

 this matter in connection with the motor element. It seems 

 that Becker's evidence is strongly in favor of fibrils not only in 

 the axone but also in the cell-body. We shall return to this in 

 the discussion of the afferent neurone, and when speaking of 

 the latest publications of Held. 



The stainablc substance seems to be more akin to a nutri- 

 ent plasma than to a substance specially important for nervous 

 function. The remarkable finding recorded by Nissl (Allg. Z. 

 f. Psych., Vol. 54, p. 6j), where an invasion of just the stain- 



