172 NO ENDS TO BE DEMONSTRATED . 



finer fibres, whicli, after leaving the branch, under 

 observation, pursue opposite directions. In using 

 the term network, therefore, I do not mean to imply 

 that fine nerve-fibres unite with each other after 

 the manner of capillaries, but merely that the hnndles 

 of fibres are arranged like net-works. The fibres 

 composing the bundles do not anastomose. In lace 

 the appearance of such a network of fibres is pro- 

 duced ; but every apparent thread is composed of 

 several, each of which pursues a complicated course, 

 and forms but a very small portion of the boundary 

 of any one single space. 



331. No ends to toe demonstrated. — Proceeding 

 from the finest nerve-fibres, no fibres exhibiting ends 

 or terminal extremities can be detected, and the 

 general conclusion to which we are led is, that nerves 

 are arranged to form continuous strands of fibres 

 which pass amongst the elementary parts of the 

 tissues, but neither become continuous with them, 

 nor terminate in free extremities in or upon them. 

 The active part of a peiipheral nerve-fibre with its 

 bioplasm is represented m many of mv drawings 

 published in the Phil. Trans. 1861, 1862, 1867. 



In all cases, as far as I can ascertain, the ultimate 

 terminal fibres are pale and granular, exhibiting 

 nuclei at varying intervals, but are distributed upon 

 precisely the same plan.* I am of opinion, therefore, 



* Not many years since, numerous observers considered that 

 no fibre could correctly be termed a nerve-fibre wliich did not 

 exhibit the dark-bordered character ( § 233) and many real nerve- 

 fibres were regarded as fibres of connective tissue. But since 

 I demonstrated the very fine nerve-fibres in many diSerent 

 textures, and showed that in all cases the really active peri- 

 pheral part of the nerve was the terminal plexus, composed of 

 very fine compound fibres often less than the i „ o^o n o ^^ of ^'^ 

 inch in diameter, numerous memoirs have appeared in Germany 

 in wliich the authors endeavour to prove that exceedingly fine 

 fibres pass oS from what I loot upon as the terminal plexuses^ 

 and end or terminate in epithelial cells, or form very minute 

 networks upon and amongst the cells. 



