ON THE NOTOCHORD 249 



to stasis of systemic nerve circulation of these materials, 

 from physiological, or pathological, circumstances, and 

 factors. 



The notochord, thus, becomes the prime agent in 

 securing the embryonic safety of the nascent, and develop- 

 ing, elements, of the systemic nervous system, in respect, 

 especially, of the great central organs of brain and cord, 

 and in providing the central support, for the subsequent 

 development of the thoracic, and pelvic, arches, and their 

 attached limb continuations, certainly, a functional raison 

 d'etre of the utmost importance to the embryonic 

 organism, and of no less prospective importance, in 

 the future development of the growing, and maturing 

 organism. 



All which is, no doubt, highly speculative, but abso- 

 lutely deducible from the, embryological, histological 

 and physiological, data, of which we have become 

 possessed, and which we have utilised to our own 

 satisfaction, in elucidating themes, and formulating 

 opinions, in other, but kindred, regions, lying imme- 

 diately outside of absolutely proved, and orthodox, 

 doctrine, and teaching ; we, therefore, make no apology 

 for obtruding such views, on the attention of those 

 capable of appraising them at their proper value. 



As a vascular, or vehicular, structure, it is not capable 

 of circulating its contents in the ordinary sense of the 

 word, inasmuch, as it has no proper outfall mechanism, 

 so far as yet known, and no return vasculature, to re-deliver 

 its residual and acquired, contents, to its original source 

 of supply ; it may, therefore, be regarded as a canal, into 

 which, percolates, or finds its way, the ossific material 

 destined for the future vertebral bodies, and to the 

 evolved rudiments of which it communicates, by osmosis, 

 what it has to yield, at regular stages along its lumen, 

 until it has emptied itself and become, so to speak, dried 

 up, or, in reality, evacuated. 



The notochord is one of the earliest structural 

 dispositions of the blastodermic fundamental layers, 

 synchronising in time of development, and running 

 parallel in position, with the neural canal, which it 

 apparently finally joins at, or in, the hypophysis, where 



