LITERARY NOTICES. 



PHYSIOLOGY. 

 Fniictional Changes in Nerve Cells.^ 



The current fascicle of La Cellule contains two contributions to a 

 subject of increasing interest, the physiology and pathology of the 

 pyramid cells, with reference, in particular, to the retractility of their 

 dendrites. The fact that these researches emanate from the laboratory 

 of van Gehuchten at Louvain lends them additional significance, for 

 upon this point van Gehuchten, of the few men entitled to speak with 

 authority upon the Golgi method, has expressly reserved judgment. 

 Cajal and v. Kolliker, on the other hand, have rejected the evidence in 

 favor of retraction, on the ground that the so-called abnormahties are 

 artifacts, due either to the imperfections of the method itself (Kolliker), 

 or to faulty manipulation (Cajal and Lugaro). The recent literature 

 upon this subject has, notwithstanding, become significantly volumi- 

 nous and is constantly upon the increase. In the early stages of the 

 development of this hypothesis, it was more or less contradictory and 

 heterogeneous in character, since the specific function of retracility 

 was associated by some with the axis-cylinders and their terminations, 

 by others, with the dendrites and the gemmules. Demoor has the 

 credit of having given to the theory the trend which it has since main- 

 tained, since he was the first to institute careful experiments upon ani- 

 mals, and to base his conclusions upon an observed increase in the 

 number of varicosities of the dendritic processes, as compared with 

 the normal animal. He maintained that these changes, physiological in 

 character, as he believed, could be satisfactorily demonstrated by the 

 Golgi method. 



The first article of Soukhanoff is devoted to a reconsideration of 

 the work of Demoor upon an experimental basis. Demoor had asserted 



1 Dr. Serge Soukhanoff. i. Contribution ^ I'etude des modifications que 

 subissent les prolongements dendritiques des cellules nerveuses sous I'influence 

 des narcotiques. 2. L'anatomie pathologique de la cellule nerveuse en rapport 

 avec I'atrophie variqueuse des dendrites de I'dcorce c6r6brale. La Cellule. 

 Tome XIV, 2 fascicule. 



