SECT, v.] ANOTHER OFFICE OF THE VENTRICLES. 373 



imaginary ducts ; that no vapours could exhale from the ven- 

 tricles through the sutures of the cranium ; that catarrhs never 

 collect in the ventricles of the brain, but have their seat in the 

 pituitary membrane of the nares and fauces, which, from being 

 more exactly described by him, was called the Schneiderian 

 membrane. In confirmation of this, he states a case of coryza 

 equina, in which both the anterior and posterior portion of the 

 pituitary membrane was affected, but the mamillary processes 

 of the brain were perfectly healthy. 



This demonstration by Schneider, however lucid, could not 

 convince every one, and there were still some who preferred 

 the old doctrine; amongst these, were Diemerbroeck, Bartholin,^ 

 and Otto Horstius.^ Lower,^ Willis and others, were convinced 

 indeed, that nothing could pass from the ventricles to the 

 nostrils, or trickle through the infundibulum and pituitary 

 gland to the fauces, but they thought, nevertheless, that the 

 serum of the ventricles passed through the infundibulum to 

 the pituitary gland, and hence through peculiar ducts to the 

 jugular veins, where it was mixed with the blood. With these 

 Adolphus Murray may be classed,* who found the infundibulum 

 hollow, and transmitting a serous fluid from the ventricles ; but 

 what change this serum underwent in the pituitary gland he 

 found it difficult to say ; yet he affirms that he once found two 

 ducts, which arose on each side of the pituitary gland, and 

 terminated in the cavernous sinus. He therefore thought it 

 possible, that the superfluous serum of the brain might pass off 

 by this route ; but on his repeating the experiment, he did not 

 succeed in finding these ducts. The opinion of Haller as to 

 this controversy,^ whether the infundibulum be hollow or 

 solid, is, that we must agree with Murray, who found it 

 hollow, but that he strongly suspected the two ducts passing 

 from the pituitary gland to the cavernous sinuses were only 

 veins ; nor, in fact, do the ventricles require a special outlet, 

 by which the serum may be evacuated, because in every part 

 of the body a secreted vapour is reabsorbed by its proper veins, 



' Anat. Reform. 



^ Presid. Slevogtio defendit. Vid. Halleri disput. Anat., torn, ii, p. 849. 



^ Tract, de Corde, Capite de Catarrhis. 



* Dissert. Inaug. de Infundibulo Cerebri, &c. Upsal, 1772. 



De Usu et Fabrica Part. Corp. Human., tom. viii, p. 92, &c. 



