576 CEREBELLUM. 



The fibres of the peduncle of the pons, that is, of the lateral 

 part of the crus cerebelli which forms the great commissure of 

 the cerebellum according to Reil, can be traced in the backward 

 direction, outwards and inwards, upwards and downwards, so 

 as to appear to go almost to every part of each hemisphere of 

 the cerebellum. The fibres of the corpus restiforme, when 

 isolated, appear to pass in* a similar direction. A vertical sec- 

 tion of any part of the cerebellum, will show the arborescent 

 arrangement of the white matter, (fig. 225.) But a section to 

 exhibit the corpus dentaturn, must be made at the inner side 

 and in the course of the fibres of the corpus restiforme, which 

 is in favor of the view of Gall, who considered the corpus 

 dentatum as a ganglion of reinforcement to the corpus resti- 

 forme, and called it the ganglion of the cerebellum.* 

 We have followed Reil in the main, in his description of the 

 cerebellum, as it involves no theory in respect to its formation ; 

 but it appears equally probable, that the views of Gall lately 

 elucidated by Foville, are equally correct ; viz. that the cerebel- 

 lum is developed by diverging fibres which proceed from the 

 corpus restiforme to the circumference of the organ, and then 

 are reflected inwards or converged to form the peduncle of the 

 pons, and that of the tubercula quadrigemina. 

 From this description it will be seen that the medulla oblon- 

 gata, is formed of four plans of different fibres ; that of the cor- 

 pus pyramidale, that of the corpus olivare, that of the medullary 

 lamen of Sir Charles Bell, (corpus innominatum^) and fourthly, 

 that of the corpus restiforme. The first one is formed by the 

 anterior or motorial column of the spinal marrow exclusively ; 

 that is, of the column between the anterior roots of the nerves, 

 and the anterior median fissure. The second starts from the gang- 

 lionic mass of the corpus olivare and seems to run up with the fibres 

 of the third bundle placed behind it. The third formed of one 

 half of what is considered the motorial part of the lateral column 

 of Sir C. Bell, (and which he considers the cerebral strands of 



* The best method of unraveling a lobe, is that of Reil. A portion about 

 an inch broad is to be cut out of a fresh cerebellum, and placed for twelve or 

 twenty-four hours in a weak solution of caustic potash, then in distilled water 

 for some hours more, and finally left from twenty-four to forty hours in pure 

 alcohol. 



