EXTRACT X. 



ON THE NAKED-EYE DETECTION OF THE PERIPHERAL 

 DISTRIBUTION OF THE SENSORY NERVATURE, AND 

 ITS CLINICAL IMPORTANCE. 



IT must be conceded here that the naked eye is often 

 baffled in tracing the peripheral distribution of the cuta- 

 neous nerve terminals in many individuals, as well as in 

 many parts of those individuals in whom in certain areas 

 it is conspicuous thus, in many infants, but particularly 

 in the healthy and ' ' thriving," we can easily see, in the 



dappling " of their skin, a more or less obvious differ- 

 entiation of the neural and haemal structural elements, 

 the former, or neural, being represented "in bulk" in the 

 pale ; the latter, or haemal, in the pink, spots composing 

 the dappling, both, however, dovetailing and blending to 

 constitute that variegated "ivory" or "pearly" appearance 

 so often characterising this condition of the infantile skin. 

 As age advances through youth, adolescence, and decline 

 the relative disposition of the two principal vascular ele- 

 ments of the skin undergoes considerable change, "wax- 

 ing and waning" and fluctuating somewhat rhythmically 

 and regularly with the changing phases of life and altering 

 environment. At one stage of life, and under the com- 

 bined influences of certain environments and internal 

 conditions, the neural element may be most in evidence, 

 while at another the haemal element may be in like manner 

 most conspicuous. 



Paleness of surface, in normal conditions, may be said 

 to mark the presence of the neural vasculature locally as 

 well as generally whenever present in conspicuous pro- 



