252 Journal of Comparative Neurology. 



of the nucleus ambiguus of the same side degenerated and 

 a smaller number of the opposite side. The ' ' sensory 

 nucleus of the vagus " he divides into two parts, an outer, 

 or dorsal part, of small cells which is somewhat affected, 

 and an inner part of larger cells, which is almost com- 

 pletely degenerate. It is probable that the latter is vis- 

 cero-motor in function, though Niedzvietzky does not 

 consider such a possibility. This probability is strength- 

 ened by the researches of Onuf and Collins ('98), in which 

 it is proven experimentally that this nucleus in the cat 

 has a large motor sympathetic element. I may add that 

 they too regard this nucleus with its sensory and motor 

 elements as the continuation of the " intermediate zone," 

 or visceral centre of the spinal cord. 



This intimate union of the viscero-motor and communis 

 systems is not confined to the vagal region, but is charac- 

 teristic of the entire extent of the fasciculus communis. 

 We have a graphic illustration of this in a recent series of 

 experiments by Langley ('98). The vagus and cervical 

 sympathetic were cut and the central end of the vagus 

 joined to the peripheral end of the sympathetic. The 

 result was that "certain of the fibres of the vagus grow 

 along the course of the cervical sympathetic and make 

 functional connection with the cells of the superior cervi- 

 cal ganglion," and there was a restoration of the proper 

 functions of the peripheral sympathetic, including some 

 classes of fibres such as pilo-motor nerves which are not 

 represented in the vagus root. In another experiment 

 the proximal end of the lingual (chorda tympani) was in 

 the same way joined to the peripheral end of the cervical 

 sympathetic, with a similar restoration of the functions of 

 the peripheral cervical sympathetic. These interesting 

 experiments go to show that sympathetic motor (pre-gan- 



