Effects of Nervous Currents in Skin Wounds 37 



of the intercellular bridges which this explanation pre- 

 supposes would require to be explained themselves. It 

 is to be remembered further that Roux in his studies 

 upon the struggle of the parts of the organism has 

 shown that the great affluence of necessary nutritive fluids 

 is always the consequence rather than the cause of the 

 growth of the organic substance. 



This experiment of Siegfried Garten argues strongly 

 in favor then of the hypothesis that a continuous nervous 

 flux traverses the intercellular bridges. The nuclei, as 

 foci of nervous energy, would be precisely the sources 

 which feed it, and which in normal conditions preserve 

 it unaltered. At the same time, the nervous flux dis- 

 charged by the other nuclei in passing through any one 

 nucleus acts like a functional trophic stimulus, in so far 

 as it is favorable to the specific vital process of this 

 nucleus. Each increase or decrease of this current 

 passing through certain nuclei caused by conditions lying 

 without these nuclei, would have as a result an aug- 

 mentation or diminution first of their mass and later 

 of their number. 



This augmentation of the nervous flux in given zones 

 following the ablation of neighboring parts would thus 

 be the general cause of the active proliferation of cells 

 by which all the phenomena of reproduction commence. 



Later when there comes into play a disturbance of 

 the equilibrium, one can conceive that its reestablish- 

 ment can proceed and spread from any one whatever 

 of the numerous parts which surround the part cut off. 

 In other and more general terms one understands that 

 the reestablishment of the normal distribution of nervous 

 energy, necessary for the reformation of an organ, in 

 case it be prevented from following the ordinary way, 



