272 DR. LEE ON THE NERVOUS GANGLIA OF THE UTERUS. 



tissue. The component fibres did not form tubes, nor were their interspaces filled 

 with the primitive granules or cells of tlie nervous tissue. 



" In the nerves of tlie spinal system, the primitive fibres of the neuriiema, which 

 closely resemble those of the ordinary cellular and fibrous tissues, are arranged in 

 the form of tubes, and can be distinguished into cylinder and contents. The same 

 structure, on a minute scale, exists, according to Valentin*, in the sympathetic nerves; 

 but according to the observations of Remak and Schwann-}-, the component fibres 

 form solid bands, and are of a more transparent character than in the spinal nerves, 

 but marked occasionally with swellings, and having granules in the interspaces. 



" I consider that the difference between the nerves of the sympathetic and the 

 fibrous cellular tissue to consist, as regards their microscopic character, in the greater 

 proportion of the granules or cells in the interspaces of the fine, reticularly interwoven, 

 component fibres of the nervous band ; and this difference I believe to exist between 

 the two nerves of tlie sympathetic system and the white bands of fibrous matter 

 which connect the peritoneum with the muscular substance of the womb, and which 

 resemble a plexus of nerves." 



The tubular structure of the ganglionic plexuses on the body of the uterus has 

 since been observed by Mr. Dalrymple, and the perfect resemblance of the uterine 

 nerves to those of the stomach and intestines demonstrated. The following letter 

 contains an account of Mr. Dalrymple's microscopical examination of the uterine 

 nerves. 



6 Holies Street, April 21, 1841. 



My dear Sir, 



After having seen and very carefully examined, some weeks since, your very beau- 

 tiful preparations of the nerves of the impregnated uterus, and after having felt con- 

 vinced by their continuity, colour, texture, and mode of distribution, that they really 

 were nerves, I was a good deal surprised to hear from you, and others, that their 

 dentity had been doubted. I was aware that it would have been worse than useless 

 to have asked you for a portion of such suspected cords to submit to the microscope, 

 knowing that they had been very many months immersed in strong alcohol. It would 

 neither have been fair to you, nor satisfactory to me, to have made such an attempt 

 at solving the question. 



Being anxious, however, to satisfy myself upon the subject, I obtained an uterus 

 (unirapregnated), and while it was quite recent, I traced several nerves, which I re- 

 cognised, from their situation round the ureter, and upon the body of the uterus, to 

 be similar to some you had previously pointed out to me. These filaments I sub- 

 mitted to the microscope, and used a very beautiful eighth-of-an-inch object-glass 

 made by Ross. I found that it was impossible, with the most careful dissection, to 

 detach any filament of nerve without including a quantity of cellular and elastic 

 tissue ; so that although the tubular portion, indicating the nerve, was distinct, yet it 



* Repertorium, iii. p. 76. t Mikroskopische Untersuch., p. 179. 



