THE DYNAMICS OF CIRCULATION 187 



proportioned to the extent of the contraction. What 

 then must occur to rectify the disturbed balance of fibral 

 material occupancy which must here be regarded as a 

 nutritive requirement, and the satisfaction of which is 

 essential, if the phenomenon of contraction, or muscle 

 work, is to continue ? Clearly the filling of the discal 

 vacuoles by suitable material for the influence of nerve 

 energy to be felt, and the phenomena of muscular con- 

 traction to be renewed. Where then can that suitable 

 material be derived from ? In our opinion it is derived 

 from the nerve terminal plates, or fibrils, which are 

 communicated to every sarcous disc, and through which 

 are conveyed from the central nervous system, the 

 material necessary for muscle nutrition and regeneration. 

 Thus, the neuro-musculature is, one, and indivisible, self- 

 supporting, and only inter-penetrated, and held in proper 

 histological position, by the sympathetically innervated 

 interstitial elements. No doubt it is impossible to 

 eliminate the many important inter-dependencies, material, 

 and functional, of the two nervous systems, in their great 

 conjoint work, of running the organic machinery of the 

 body, but it is obvious, that while there is reciprocity in 

 every possible manner, there is a distinct, as distinguished 

 from a conjoint, adaptation, to perform certain specific 

 work, organic, and functional ; the recognition of which 

 is absolutely necessary, if we are to be possessed of what 

 is entitled to the name " a scientific knowledge of the 

 subject" muscle disc plasma is thus derived from nerve 

 plasma which, in turn, is derived from nerve cell selection 

 from the matrix of the neuroglia which, in turn, is 

 derived from the blood plasma, the product of the 

 primary alimentary materials, the ingestion of which con- 

 stitutes the great necessity of life. 



Belief in these statements, entails belief in the existence 

 of powers of circulation, by structures which have hitherto 

 been tacitly regarded as solid, or homogeneous, and 

 incapable of allowing the passage of material along their 

 constituent fibral elements. Circulation of material and 

 energy alike, as we have elsewhere endeavoured to prove, 

 is a root property, or foundation, condition, of all matter, 

 whether inorganic, or organic, and must be accepted as 



