Herrick, Pathology of Gaictal Paralysis. 15S 



vascular process ; but well prepared specimens show not one, 

 but often several, such processes distinguished by their greater 

 diameter, their deep staining, and their termination in a nucle- 

 ated mass of protoplasm upon the walls of a blood vessel." 



The protoplasm of these cells is said to stain in abnormal 

 states but not in normal, because in the former case there is an 

 unnaturally increased vitality. They are said to spread through- 

 out the neuroglia framework and multiply by nucleary subdi- 

 vision and segmentation of the cell mass. The last stage in the 

 development of these bodies is one of fibrillation in which the 

 cell is exhausted by ramifying into innumerable fibrillary pro- 

 cesses. As elsewhere stated, we are inclined to believe that 

 these are truly nervous elements which become more accessible 

 to stain as they shrivel. Proper methods demonstate richly 

 branching processes even during health. 



In the region of the hippocampus the evidences of morbid 

 activity are fewer than in cortical motor areas, yet there are re- 

 gions where profound alterations have taken place. There are 

 many cases where the pigment degeneration is discoverable but 

 the process has not gone far enough to implicate a large part of 

 the protoplasm. The degeneration manifests itself here in the 

 alteration of the fibres. These are large and distinct and even in 

 our somewhat imperfect specimens the apical processes are seen 

 to be shriveled and altered. One evidence of the change is 

 seen in the remarkable vermiform or rod-like granules which lie 

 upon or within the process or in the more distant part of the 

 fibres. These are well-shown on Plate D Fig. 6 and Fig. 7 

 These vary from short ovoid to rod-shaped or long worm- 

 like. It has not been possible to find a description of these 

 bodies but we venture to suggest that they are the elongated 

 nuclei of leucocytes or scavengers which have penetrated the 

 sheath in pursuit of the decomposing protoplasm of the fibre. 

 The reasons for this asumption are, i. that the least modified of 

 these bodies closely resemble the phagocytes, 2. no other 

 source for these bodies is suggested, 3. analogy suggests 

 that some means of disposing of the obviously decomposing pro- 

 cesses, where as large as in this case, must be found. 



