634 HUBER. [Vol. XI. 



taken from the same, but also when taken from other species ; 

 the ends of the implanted segments must, however, be care- 

 fully sutured if this result is to be hoped for." Primary union 

 of divided nerves is brought about through the agency of 

 special cells, known, according to Gliick, as "specific nerve 

 granulation cells." These are large protoplasmic cells with 

 long processes, and are developed from the nuclei of the 

 sheath of Schwann. They assume a gray-green tinge when 

 stained with osmic acid. The cells anastomose with each 

 other, and unite the central and peripheral end of the divided 

 nerve within the first few days. At the end of six to 

 eight days this investigator notes the finding of young nerve 

 fibres between the spindle-shaped cells. In the course of these 

 young fibres are observed swellings, produced by large nuclei 

 possessing prominent nucleoli, the nuclei resembling the nuclei 

 of the "nerve granulation tissue cells" from which the new 

 fibres are thought to have been developed. 



The possibility of union of divided nerves by first intention, 

 i.e., without degeneration of the peripheral end, finds only a 

 few advocates among the many writers who have given thought 

 to this question. Of these, the views enunciated by Gliick, 

 based on his interpretation of the experiments above men- 

 tioned, are the most outspoken, and most frequently quoted. 

 With him are to be identified Wolberg and Bruch. The 

 former reports one experiment in which primary union took 

 place ; this was after partial section of a cat's sciatic. The 

 latter describes one experiment on a kitten where this favora- 

 ble result was obtained. 



The observations of Gliick, Wolberg, and Bruch are, how- 

 ever, so at variance with the results obtained by other investi- 

 gators, that it is difficult to find a suitable explanation for 

 them, or to accept them without further corroboration. In 

 proof of this, I may be allowed to quote from a number of the 

 more recent Writings dealing with nerve de- and regeneration. 



Biinger states " that every nerve severed from its center 

 undergoes degeneration. The possibility of union by first 

 intention, as upheld by Gliick and Wolberg, is for this reason 

 not tenable." Howell and Huber, while admitting Gliick's 



