THE OSSEOUS SYSTEM. 337 



as a nerve of the frontal bone to the ». supraorbitalis, which 

 observations, as far as they relate to the tibial nerve, have been 

 confirmed by my own, and by those of Luschka in the case 

 of certain of the cranial bones, and of the vertebra. Never- 

 theless, the sympathetic participates in their formation, as 

 Luschka, and before him, Kobelt have observed with respect 

 to the vertebral nerves. Microscopical examination confirms 

 this, inasmuch as the nerves of bone, in their trunks and termi- 

 nations, resemble in every respect the sensitive branches of the 

 spinal nerves, and contain, in the trunks, one third of fibres, 

 measuring 0-005 — 0006'"; two thirds measuring 0002 — 

 0001'"; in the larger branches the majority of the fibres 

 measure 000.2 — 0-003'", but some as much as 0-006'"; and 

 lastly, in the finest ramifications, fibres of not moie than 

 00012 — 0-0016'". The periosteal nerves, also, which may 

 frequently be seen to be connected with the nerves of the 

 bone, and may be traced to the nerves of the extremity, are 

 derived, probably in the greater proportion, from the spinal 

 nerves, although even in their case, perhaps, some participation 

 of the sympathetic cannot be denied. 



How the nerves of bone terminate, I have not observed, 

 and can only remark, that from the nerves in the marrow, 

 extremely delicate branches, composed of neurilemma and one 

 or two fibrils, are ultimately developed ; but as to what be- 

 comes of these I am ignorant. It is also, perhaps, worthy of 

 notice, that in two situations, before their entrance into the 

 bone, I have observed Pacinian bodies on the nerves; viz. on 

 the diaphysal nerve of the tibia, two lines before its entrance 

 into the foramen, I noticed a single body, and two others on 

 the largest nerve of the metatarsal bone of the great toe, also 

 just before it entered the bone. 



I have never yet detected nerves in the ligaments, in 

 Man (the ligamentum nucha of the Ox contains some fine 

 nervous twigs, accompanying minute arteries; the twigs 

 measuring 0004'", with fine fibres of 0.012 — 00015'"), but 

 have no doubt that they, like the tendons, inasmuch as that 

 they contain vessels, are also furnished with a few scattered 

 nerves. On the other hand, the interosseous membrane of the 

 leg contains filaments derived from the interosseal nerve, which, 

 formed of from one to three fibrils, measuring 0-003 — 0004'", 



i. 22 



