EXTRACT XII. B. 



THE ROLE OF THE CEREBRO-SPINAL FLUID AND 

 LYMPH PROPER. 



THE role of the cerebro-spinal fluid, or lymph, may, in 

 conclusion, be summarised, or regarded, as that of a 

 mechanical support and buffer, a medium for the floating 

 of the intra-cerebro-spinal systemic blood vasculature and 

 the proper systemic neural elements, as well as a vehicle 

 for the reception and removal of intra-neural disjecta, or 

 debris, and the provider of an aseptic inter-penetrating and 

 surrounding fluid material for the maintenance of intra- 



O 



neural hygiene, an afforder of an insulating element for 

 the production, reception, and storage of nervine energy 

 by the means of a stratum of peripheral non-conducting, 

 but neuro-pervious, liquid throughout the entire nervous 

 system, permeable from without by sensory nervine stimuli, 

 and communicative, from within, of motor nervine impulses 

 throughout the confines of the muscle areas, voluntary and 

 involuntary, systemic and sympathetic. 



Such a bald recapitulation of some of the salient 

 functions of the cerebro-spinal fluid reveals the truth that 

 we have in it a neurally omnipresent element second in 

 importance to none of the non-nervous constituents of, or 

 connected with, the nervous system, and an element whose 

 physiological importance, in many other respects as well, 

 should ensure a whole-hearted study of it, in order that 

 its importance in a practical respect should be made fully 

 available to the practisers of the healing art, and for its 

 intrinsic value to the exponents of pure science, and the 

 lovers of truth for its own sake. 



