DESIGNED BY DESIGNER. 349 



papilla. But neither in the nerves constituting the trunk, 

 nor in any nerves, do the component fibres run parallel 

 to one another, as is usually represented in books. They 

 continually cross one another, and change sides. Often- 

 times one fibre is seen to be coiled spirally round another. 

 Again, in that marvellous plexus at the summit of the 

 papilla, the minute fibrils which result from the division of a 

 fibre are not all distributed to that same side of the papilla, 

 but they diverge, and some cross over to the opposite side. 

 Now it is remarkable, that these and many other special 

 arrangements, which I have pointed out as constant in con- 

 nection with the ultimate ramifications of all nerve fibres, 

 should serve very important purposes of great advantage to 

 the organism to which they belong. If, for instance, any 

 part of the nerve trunk distributed to a nerve organ be 

 injured, or even if the nerve trunk be half divided, no one 

 spot of the sensitive organ will be completely paralysed, 

 but the action would be slightly weakened over a some- 

 what considerable area. Do the nerves cross and recross 

 in a nerve trunk, and in their ultimate distribution according 

 to law, and for no special purpose ? Was the marvellous 

 disposition of the parts during development, by which alone 

 the ultimate arrangement became possible, due to nothing 

 particular? Was it haphazard, accidental, or a consequence 

 of some moleculo-spiral law, not yet accurately defined or 

 firmly established ? Is the fact to be explained by evolu- 

 tion, or accounted for according to some hypothesis of 

 spiral crystallisation of the peculiar matter of which nerve 

 is composed ? 



Each papilla, with all its complex structures, was once 

 formless bioplasm, which was acted upon, as I conceive, by 



