0'S4 INTERNAL SECRETIONS OF PANCREAS AND SPLEEN. 



distribution of the nerve-terminals. According to Ramon y 

 Cajal and C. Sala, the pancreas contains many nerve-cells 

 and fibers of Remak. Some cells are found in the interacinous 

 spaces; others are in contact with the intrinsic vascular 

 walls, and their finer prolongations surround the glandular cells. 

 Those connected with the vessels form a plexus around them, 

 and send extremely fine filaments to the muscular elements. 

 Alluding to the nerve-cells, Ramon y Cajal says: "We may 

 consider this cell as a special cell, all the prolongations, or 

 almost all the prolongations, of which possess the meaning of 

 nervous prolongations contrary to the cells of the sympathetic 

 chain, that have two kinds of prolongations: a long one, or 

 fiber of Remak, for the viscera, and short prolongations com- 

 parable to the protoplasmic prolongations of cerebro-spinal 

 cells, destined to establish relations by contact between the 

 neighboring cells of a ganglion/' Berdal, who quotes the 

 above, therefore recognizes two varieties of nerve-fiber in the 

 pancreas: "1. The nerve-fibers formed by the cellular pro- 

 longations and which supply the periacinous and perivascular 

 plexuses. 2. The nerve-fibers derived from the sympathetic 

 nerves which penetrate into the pancreas with the vessels. These 

 nerves ramify between the lobules and contribute to the for- 

 mation of the periacinous plexus." He then adds: "In the 

 present state of the question it is impossible to say if the 

 latter nerves terminate in a manner different from that of 

 the former; and one cannot even indicate how they are related 

 with the nerve-cells of the pancreas." 



With our conception of the innervation of the stomach as 

 guide, the relations between the two sets of nerves seem clear. 

 That sympathetic and vagus branches are distributed to the 

 organ, we have seen; it is evident that the fibers formed by 

 the cellular prolongations are those of the vagus, since the 

 others are recognized as sympathetic. The only path through 

 which vagal fibers could enter the organ is, as in the case of 

 the latter nerve, with the vessels. We have seen, when review- 

 ing the mechanism of the stomach, that two-thirds of the 

 fibers from the right vagus passed on to the solar plexus, and 

 that extensions from the latter, also arranged "largely in 

 plexuses," passed on "with the vessels" in company with the 



