DISTEIBUTED TO THE CAPILLARY VESSELS. 323 



rently and are in character very difPerent from tliat 

 represented in Ms drawings. In those cases in which 

 nerves can be followed near to secreting cells, it is 

 more probable that their function is affere)it as regsn-ds 

 the nerve-centre governing the nearest vessels, than 

 that they are directly concerned in the actual secern- 

 ing process, which I beHeve to be due rather to the 

 properties and powers of the bioplasm of the cell, 

 than to any mj'sterious, and at this time purely con- 

 jectural, influence of nerve force. 



What is their office ? — What, then, is the probable 

 office of the nerve-fibres which are so freely distri- 

 buted to many of the capillary vessels ? Upon manv 

 sensitive surfaces the fiiie nerve-fibres running' verv 

 close to the capillaries are indeed so numerous that 

 we can hardly a,void coming to the conclusion that 

 these veiy nerve-fibres must be concerned in sensation. 

 The capillaries of the mucous membrane of the frog's 

 palate, for example, are surrounded by a complete 

 network of very dehcate nerve-fibres, which lie im- 

 mediately beneath the epithelium. In this situation 

 there are no fapillce, nor i^ there any form of sense 

 organ to be discovered. By experiment we know 

 that this surface is eminently sensitive, but there is 

 no reason to think that it is concerned in the sense of 

 taste. On the other hand, it must be remembex^ed 

 that upon the tongue of the frog are very highly 

 elaborate nerve organs of a special structure, which 

 have a very large number of nerve-fibres distributed 

 over a small space quite at the summit of the papilla 

 ("Phil. Trans.," 1864). If, therefore, the frog pos- 

 sesses the sense of taste, the dehcate papillge above 

 referred to are doubtless the organs concerned, and 

 not the general surface of the palate, the nerves dis- 

 tributed to which probably take part in general sensa- 

 tion only. 



They may he concerned, in general sensation. — The 

 nerve fibres distributed to the capillary vessels pro- 



