PHYSIOLOGY OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. 
There are certain facts connected with the 
larger nervous centres-which Serer, indicate 
the correctness of this assumption. Thus, the 
existence of special accumulations of vesicular 
matter connected with them, where any parti- 
cular developement of the nervous force is 
needed, is much in favour of this view. As 
instances, we may cite the special electrical 
lobes in the electrical fishes, the ganglionic en- 
largements on the medulla oblongata of the 
gurnard, the median lobe, occupying a similar 
position to the electrical lobe above referred 
to, which is found in the remora or sucking- 
fish, and from which nerves are supplied to 
the suctorial disc on the head of that animal. 
Allied to these is the remarkable fact pointed 
out by Professor Sharpey, that the arms of the 
cuttle-fish contain ganglia which furnish nerves 
to the suckers which exist upon them in great 
number. Furthermore, the anatomy of the 
. _mervous system in some of the Mollusca, the 
_ Conchifera for example, in which a separate 
_ ganglion appears to exist for each function, for 
respiration, for locomotion, for deglutition, &c., 
is beautifully illustrative of the office of ganglia. 
_ When, however, we come to inquire into the 
Office of the particular ganglia which exist in 
Man and the Vertebrata, it is, in some instances, 
difficult to determine what object can be gained 
by a special evolution of nervous force by some 
of them. It may be inquired what is the func- 
tion performed by the ganglia on the posterior 
roots of spinal nerves, on the large root of the 
fifth, on the glosso-pharyngeal, on the vagus 
nerves? Can it have reference, as already 
_ suggested in a former part of the article, to 
. the part which these nerves perform in connec- 
_ tion with tactile sensibility or with the sense of 
_ taste, as in the fifth and glosso-pharyngeal, in 
analogy with the ganglia attached to the olfac- 
West and optic nerves, and probably with the 
auditory? Or have these ganglia anything to 
do with the nutrition of the parts among which 
‘their nerves are distributed, as Dr. M. Hall 
Suggests, in which case they would present an 
obvious analogy, and might be classed with the 
sympathetic ganglia? 
& e data which would assist in coming to 
a right conclusion upon this subject are so few, 
that, with our present knowledge, it is impos- 
Sible to form anything like a distinct hypothesis 
ing it. LI would remark with reference 
to the last-mentioned conjecture that it would 
Teceive great support if gelatinous nerve-fibres 
ere found to take their rise from the ganglia 
d to follow the course of bloodvessels. 
_ With regard to the use of the ganglia of the 
Sympathetic, the proved existence of gelatinous 
bres, peculiar to these ganglia and taking 
their rise from them, distinctly indicates that 
they are the seat of a special developement of 
hervous power, whether spontaneously arising 
in the nutrient changes of ganglia, or by the 
Teflexion of a change propagated to them by 
afferent nerves implanted in them. The va- 
rious facts which show that the sympathetic sys- 
jtem enjoys an existence and power independent 
jof the cerebro-spinal axis also confirm this view. 
But we must enquire further what is gained 
+ 
. 
723F 
by the passage of certain nerve-fibres through 
these ganglia, as is the case with most if not all 
the tubular fibres connected with them? It 
may be that in their passage through the gan- 
glia the tubular fibres acquire an arrangement 
in new sets or fascicles in a manner analogous 
to that which occurs in the plexuses. But 
this can scarcely be the only object of this 
connection. Do these fibres associate the cere- 
bro-spinal centres with the ganglionic system ? 
or do they themselves in passing again through 
vesicular matter experience some modification 
in their vital endowments? These questions 
cannot be satisfactorily solved in the present 
state of our knowledge. 
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