Meyer, Data of Modem Neiirology. 283 



tional connection with the degenerating auditory fibers, as they 

 belong to the intersegmental or cerebral afferent type. Gold- 

 scheider and Marinesco had formulated the opinion that for the 

 normal vitality of a nerve-cell the normal stimuli were neces- 

 sary. They would perhaps refer the above finding to the abo- 

 lition of the conduction of auditory stimuli. Another explana- 

 tion might be offered, namely, that the same condition which 

 called for neuroglia-proliferation was also the cause of the alter- 

 ations in the contact cells, and in this way we might avoid too 

 generalizing theories by remaining on morphological ground. 



Coming to the question of the interrelation of the neu- 

 rones we must mention the work of Held which would if sub- 

 stantiated draw a veil of denial over many of the statements 

 given so far. I refer especially to Held's last contribution^ 

 which may well be regarded with some apprehension by certain 

 ultraprogressive speculators. 



To fully understand the bearing of his view, we must re- 

 turn to the sketches given of the transmission of nerve-impulses 

 on plate XV. To Nansen and Golgi the cell-body and its pro- 

 toplasmic processes appeared as a vegetative mechanism ; the 

 conduction of impulses is perfectly intelligible through the 

 axone and its collaterals. In 1891, van GelincJiten claimed to 

 have found in the mitral cells of the olfactory bulb a cell in 

 which no other conduction was possible than that through the 

 dendrite to the cell, and through the cell into the axone. (That 

 the arrangement of the olfactory cells does not give an 

 absolute proof of this view has been stated in the abstract of 

 Monti's paper on page 124. Even here recurrent collaterals 

 play a role). Cajal took up this statement and illustrating it in 

 his sketch of the cortical mechanisms he established it under 

 the name of the 'law of dynamic polarization.' Charles- Amide e 

 Piignat ^ gives a short account of the latest phases of this the- 



• Beitrage zur Struktur der Nervenzellen und ihrer Fortsatze. Zweite Ab- 

 handlung, von Hans Held. Arch f. Anat. u. Entwicklungsgeschichte. Anat. 

 Abt. 1S97, p 204-2l)4, and plates IX to XII. 



" De rimportance fonctionelle du corps cellulaire du neurone, par C-A. 

 Pugnat, Revue Neurologique, Vol. 6, No. 6, 1S98. 



