76 0. P. MAESHALL. 



observers who have described some form of network in the 

 muscle-fibre. 



Dr. G. Thin 1 appears to be the first observer who described 

 an intracellular network in the fibre of striped muscle. He 

 examined frog's muscle treated with gold chloride in the fol- 

 lowing manner. After staining with gold chloride the muscle 

 was exposed to light in acidulated water and then kept in 

 strong acetic acid, at a temp, of 38° C, from 6 — 24 hours. By 

 this method he demonstrated a network of fine fibres, concern- 

 ing which he says " this network was composed of exceedingly 

 fine fibres, and its meshes accurately corresponded to Cohn- 

 heim's areas" (p. 252). He states that he demonstrated in 

 the muscle-fibre, by the process of isolation, (1) the existence 

 of flat cells (the muscle-corpuscles), (2) a network connected 

 with central cellular protoplasm, and (3) parallel rows of 

 spindle elements. Further on he states that he was " compelled 

 to associate the transverse markings with the existence of this 

 network, without attempting to explain the connection between 

 them more definitely " (p. 258) . 



Gerlach 2 has written two papers on this subject. In the first 

 paper he states that the contractile contents of the sarcolemma 

 is traversed by a retiform substance continuous with and 

 identical with the axis cylinder of the nerve. He thus regards 

 the network as of a nervous nature. 



In the second paper he states that (i) an intravaginal nerve 

 network is present within the sarcolemma. (ii) In good 

 specimens striae are seen which behave in a similar manner to 

 the intravaginal network, and can be traced into continuity 

 with it. He divides muscle into an anisotropous contractile 

 matrix, and an isotropous nerve network. His results were 

 obtained by the following method : the gold preparations were 

 left several days in a mixture of 1 — 2 parts hydrochloric acid, 



1 " On the Structure of Muscular Fibre," ' Quart. Journ. Micr. Sci.,' vol. 

 xvi (N. 8.), 1876, pp. 251—259. 



2 'Das Verhaltniss der Nerven zu den Muskeln der Wirbelthiere/ Leipzig 

 (Vogel), 1S74. "TJeber das Verhaltniss der nervosen und contractilen 

 Substanz der quergestreiftes Muskels," ' Arch. f. Mik. Anat.,' Bd. xiii, 1877, 

 p. 399. 



