THE VIEWS OF ARNOLD AND OTHERS. 195 



fibre, and were closest to one another in ttat part of 

 the former which was still coiled round the cell, and 

 formed, indeed, part of its substance. Some months 

 after my paper appeared, J. Arnold, of Heidelberg, 

 quite independently, and probably without having 

 heard of my observations, described a spiral fibre in 

 connection with the ganglion cells of the nerves of the 

 frog's lung, but in the drawings accompanying his 

 memoir (Virchow's Archiv, Band xxviii, plate x), 

 both straight and spinal fibre 7-esidt from the division 

 of a single nerve fibre. In drawings illustrating a 

 paper published in 1865 (Vii'chow's Archiv, Band 

 xxxii), two years after my memoir was completed, he 

 gives examples in which the two fibres are delineated 

 distinct from one another, and he further states (con- 

 traiy to my observations) that the straight fibre ter- 

 minates in the nucleolus, while the spiral fibre is made 

 to commence in a network of fine fibi'es ramifying 

 over the surface of the cell, which are traced up to the 

 nucleus. These di-awings have a somewhat artificial 

 look about them which is not quite satisfactory. Sub- 

 sequently Courvoisier and many other observers have 

 studied the same subject, differing from me princi- 

 pally as regards the origin of the fibres from the body 

 of the cell, and from one another in several particu- 

 lars. I have reinvestigated the matter, but have not 

 seen appearances Avhich will justify any modification 

 of the conclusions detailed in my memoir. The ori- 

 ginal specimen from which the figure — since copied 

 into most of the text-books — was taken, may still be 

 examined (^V^h objective, magnifying 1800 diameters), 

 and the drawing may be compared with the prepa- 

 ration. 



IS'ew memoirs have more recently appeared in 

 Germany, and some authors have expressed the 

 opinion that my spiral fibre is connective tissue. It 

 is not surprising that they should have looked at 

 my drawings as the inventions of my imagination 



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