SOME NEURAL TERMS. 121 



and (d) abandoning the anthropotomic misnomers of the 

 encephalic cavities in favor of mononyms coordinated with the 

 commonly accepted titles of the encephalic segments (e.g., 

 Aquae ducttis Sylvii and Iter a tertio ad quartum ventriculum 

 for mesocoelia). 1 



Notwithstanding their defects, these efforts to improve ana- 

 tomic language elicited favorable comment, helpful criticism, 

 and more or less actual adoption from Oliver Wendell Holmes 

 {'81), Joseph Leidy ('85, '89), 2 Henry F. Osborn ('83, '84), E. C. 

 Spitzka ('81), and R. Ramsay Wright ('85). 



III. 1884-88. Although now satisfied as to the correct- 

 ness of the general system and as to the excellence of most of 

 the individual terms, I began to realize more fully the magni- 

 tude and difficulty of the task and the necessity for counsel 

 and cooperation. In the summer of 1884, at my suggestion, 

 committees were appointed by the American Neurological 

 Association and the American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science. The constitution of these committees (p. 126) 

 insured that no hasty action would be taken, and warranted the 

 hope that any conclusions reached by them would be consid- 

 ered seriously here and abroad. Personal conferences were 

 held when practicable, but most of the work of comparing 

 views and preparing preliminary reports was done by corre- 

 spondence. 



As collaborator on a medical dictionary (Foster, '88-'94), I 

 undertook to obtain a list of names already applied to parts of 

 the central nervous system. In 1888 the total was 10,500, dis- 

 tributed as follows in round numbers: Latin, 3100; English, 

 1800; French, 1800; Italian and Spanish, 900; German, 2900. 

 Assuming the number of parts or features to be 500-600, there 

 were evidently many superfluous neuronyms, especially in Latin 



1 Nothing in my terminologic experience has been more gratifying and encour- 

 aging than the approximate coincidence of a similar proposition by T. Jeffery 

 Parker ('82, '84). 



2 While engaged upon the new edition of his Anatomy, Professor Leidy 

 wrote me under date of Jan. 20, 1885: " I wish to aid in reforming the nomen- 

 clature of anatomy, and in doing so propose to anglicize the names to some 

 extent [p. 114]. Will you please look over this list of muscles and tell me whether 

 I can do better with any of the names." Ten days later he submitted a list of the 

 neural terms. Many of my suggestions were adopted. 



