THE MUSCULAR SYSTEM. 265 



easy to understand that in the larger muscles, a microscopic 

 examination, in ioto, is impossible ; but it can be shown in 

 other ways, as by the preparation and examination of minute 

 flat fasciculi taken in their entire length, that conditions 

 exist, at all events in some of them, similar to those which 

 appear to be evidenced in the small muscles. It is thus seen, 

 especially in muscles of lax structure, that each fasciculus pre- 

 sents precisely the same conditions as an entire smaller muscle. 

 How the distribution of the nerves is effected in muscles with 

 long fasciculi (sartorius, latissimus dorsi, &c), I have not ex- 

 amined; it is probable, that in this case, each primitive fasci- 

 culus is joined by the nerves at several points, widely apart. 



Valentin and Emmert, in the year 1836, simultaneously 

 described the terminations of the primitive nerve-fibres in the 

 muscles, to be in the form of loops, and the former maintained 

 that the nerves of sensation terminated in a similar way. But 

 Physiology having more recently shown that she docs not well 

 know what is to be done with these loops, and Microscopic 

 Anatomy having distinctly demonstrated the existence, in 

 many situations, of other modes of termination of the nerves 

 (Pacinian bodies, &c.), the loops have fallen into such discredit, 

 that the question now is, not as before, whether, besides the 

 loops, there are other modes of termination, but rather, whether 

 loops really exist anywhere ? With respect to the muscles espe- 

 cially, anatomists seem inclined to deny their existence altoge- 

 ther, since divisions and terminations of nerve-fibres have been 

 discovered in them ; but this conclusion, from what has been 

 remarked above, would be incorrect. Henle also, in Canstatt's 

 Jahresb. f. 1847, p. 63, says, that in his opinion the loops 

 had been too rashlv discarded ; while on the other hand. 

 Wagner, with reference to this question, places the analogy 

 with what is seen in the Frog, &c. above direct observation, 

 and denies the existence of loops. With respect to divisions of 

 the nerves, Wagner ( f Gott. Nach./ 1852, p. 27), finds them to 

 be tolerably frequent in the muscles of the Monse. I would, 

 moreover, remark, that in one case, I think T noticed a minute 

 ganglion with about five cells on a nervous twig in the omo- 

 hyoid of man; the observation, however, was not satisfactory, 

 the muscle having been previously treated with soda. 



In the Invcrtebrata, many observers have Ions since de- 



