OF THE SKIN. 119 



(whether in all the fibres is as yet undecided) in man and in 

 animals actual divisions of the primitive tubules, so that they 

 divide, generally at an acute angle, into two ; and from the 

 plexus itself, the tubules finally enter the base of the papilla 

 in pairs, in order to run to their extremities, and there unite 

 in a loop. 



The elements of the nerves of the skin, exhibit no striking 

 peculiarities ; the diameter of some, in the trunks in the sub- 

 cutaneous cellular tissue, is still as much as O005 — 0006"', 

 and also in the deepest part of the corium, whilst they 

 become finer and finer outwards. In the terminal plexus I 

 find they vary according to the locality, from 0003 to 0-0016'", 

 in the papilla from 0-0008— 0-002'". In the hand and foot 

 the finest tubules vary between 0001 2 — 0002'"; in the ylans 

 penis, in the lips and nose, on the other hand, only from 

 00008— 0-0012'". 



[R. Wagner has recently published some statements ('Allg. 

 Zeitung/ Jan., Feb., 1852 ; ' Gotting. Nachricht/ Feb. 1852), 

 according to which the relations of the nerves of the skin have 

 hitherto been entirely misconceived. From the investigations 

 of G. Meissner and himself, which were instituted upon the 

 nerves of the palm of the hand, "Wagner divides the papilla 

 into nervous and vascular. The former are said to contain a 

 peculiar oval corpuscle in their axis, which consists of super- 

 imposed saccular or band-like laminse, resembling a fir-cone, 

 and this structure is regarded by Wagner as a peculiar sen- 

 sory apparatus, and named by him " tactile corpuscle" (corpus- 

 culum tactus). Into these the nerves — 1 to 3 fine dark- 

 bordered tubules — are said to enter from below, or from the 

 side, and to terminate within them, either free, or perhaps 

 divided into many delicate branches. Wagner found these 

 corpuscles to be most abundant in the points of the fingers, 

 and that they were more and more rare towards the wrist. 

 I have considered it requisite to investigate these assertions, 

 which are made with much confidence, particularly as Wagner 

 grounds upon them great expectations for the physiology of 

 the sense of touch, and the following are the results at which 

 I have arrived. 



Independently of the vessels and nerves, the papillae consist, 



