Meyer, Review of Publications of Bethe and Nisst. 45 



good working hypothesis, though full of unsolved problems. 

 The question of function of the nervous system is today at best 

 one of activity of aggregates of neurones, and if we want to 

 specialize further, we will do best to start from the known and 

 not from the unknown. Many of us have the feeling that not- 

 withstanding the veto of Golgi and the considerations of Nissl 

 we are perhaps not forced to accept a ' reseau diffus ' outside of 

 what we know as processes of cells and certainly few people 

 will follow Nissl in willingly despising what we have and in put- 

 ting the sole emphasis on the 'non-classified residium,' the store- 

 house from which the supplies for all the hopes and the reme- 

 dies for all the woes are expected to be furnished to those dis- 

 appointed with what is safely established and with the usual 

 methods of acquiring new knowledge. 



LITERATURE. 



1. Bethe, Ueber die Primitivfibrillen in den Ganglienzellen von Menschen 

 und anderen Wirbelthieren. Morph. Arbeiten von Schwalbe. Vol. VIII, p. 

 95-116, Tafel IX andX. 



2. Bethe, Die anatoraischen Elemente des Nervensystems und ihre physi- 

 ologische Bedeutung. Biolog. Centralblatt. Vol. XVIII, p. 843. 



3. Nissl, Nervenzellen und graue Substanz. Miinch. Med. Woch. 1S98. 



