SOME NEURAL TERMS. 165 



(a) The abbreviation should indicate the Latin (international) 

 name. With all mononyms this will also indicate equally well 

 the national paronym ; but with English and German polyonyms 

 (p. 1 1 8) the usual transposition of the adjective and substantive 

 renders the recognition less easy. 1 



(b) Abbreviations should be formed regularly, and vowels 

 excluded excepting when the initial letter is such, or when their 

 absence might occasion ambiguity. 



(c) In the explanation of a figure, abbreviations should be 

 set in alphabetic order. So natural, reasonable, and just is this 

 rule that its disregard can only be attributed to the selfish 

 assumption upon the part of a writer that the time its observ- 

 ance would have cost him is of more value to the world than 

 the time its non-observance costs all of his readers together, 

 not to mention the ill effects of righteous indignation. 



Importance of Moderation. As with biologic generalizations, 

 there are few philologic rules without exceptions. Yet the 

 reformer, especially if young and enthusiastic, either ignorant 

 of history or undismayed thereby, "too often imagines that a 

 principle, if right, cannot be carried too far " (Barclay). In 

 this connection may be appropriately quoted the verse from 

 Horace: 



Est modus in rebus ; sunt certi denique fines, 

 Ultra citraque nequit consistere rectum. 



Suggestions to American Anatomists. Circumstances have 

 precluded the possibility of submitting either the manuscript 

 or the proofs of this lecture to other members of the American 

 committees. Hence their responsibility for its contents must 

 be limited strictly by their official recommendation of certain 

 terms or principles and by the usages embodied in their indi- 

 vidual publications. I hope they will join in whatever discus- 

 sion of the general subject 2 may be aroused by this article freely 



1 From my point of view this constitutes an argument for the conversion of 

 certain polyonyms into mononyms. For example, if the dionym commissura 

 anterior be retained, the Latin and French abbreviation would be c. a., the English 

 a. c., and the German v. c. But of the mononym, praecommissura, prc. would 

 probably serve in each case. 



2 The next volume of Merkel's " Ergebnisse " will contain an article upon the 

 subject by Prof. Thomas Dwight. 



