78 S. E. JOHNSON AND M. L. MASON 
As further examples of this non-commital sort of statement, 
we may quote from Chiarugi (’10—’17), “each ganglion is con- 
nected by one or two rami communicantes with a thoracic nerve.” 
Similarly in Rauber-Kopsch (’07) no definite statement as to 
the upward extent of the white rami can be found. Spalteholz 
(20) in four separate statements does not attempt to distinguish 
between the white and gray rami of the thoracic nerves. ‘The 
following quotation is typical: ‘“‘Jedes Ganglion (sympathicus) 
ist durch ein oder mehrere Rami communicantes mit den Nn. 
thoracales verbunden”’ (p. 791). 
Literature consulted shows that little has been done to deter- 
mine the nature of the rami communicantes in man, conclusions 
derived from other mammalian work being read directly into 
human anatomy. Langley (’94, p. 235) says, “The uppermost 
white ramus in man should come from the first thoracic, 1.e., 
the first thoracic is probably the highest spinal nerve by which 
motor and sensory fibers run to the viscera. But it seems not 
unlikely that a posterior arrangement of the brachial plexus 
occurs sometimes in man in which the first thoracic has not a 
white ramus.” Langley at another time (’00) states that there 
is more or less evidence to substantiate the statement that the 
first thoracic nerve is in all mammals the first to give off a white 
ramus. And again (’03) he states that afferent fibers which 
accompany the sympathetic arise from the nerves which give 
off efferent fibers and from these only, in man they (efferents) 
arise from the first thoracic to the second or third lumbar. 
In R. L. Miiller’s paper (’09) we could find no definite state- 
ment as to the superior limit of the white rami. His claim that 
in all mammals without exception, the inferior cervical ganglion 
is fused with the first one or two thoracic to form the ganglion 
stellatum, we are unable to verify as regards man. 
In collecting fresh autopsy material for the purpose of making 
a survey of the structure of the sympathetic trunks in man, 
the authors found in all cases examined at least two rami com- 
municantes arising from the first thoracic nerve. The number 
varied from two to five in different subjects and often the number 
was not the same on opposite sides of the same subject. These 
