78 0. WINKLER. THE CENTRAL COURSE 



the ventral nucleus and in the tuberculum acusticum. In reference 

 to this the ventral nucleus and the tuberculnm acusticum may be 

 called the nuclei of the dorsal root. 



But only thus far I can accept the common view. To admit 

 that these nuclei are exclusively the endings of the dorsal root, 

 and to deny that the ventral send a few fibres to them, would 

 be contrary to my experience. The study of the details of the 

 degeneration in the ventral nucleus after removal of the cochlea, 

 may establish that dorsal-root-fibres , then degenerating, enter it 

 in its distal and ventral pole , and , united together to a rather 

 sharply limited peduncle , penetrate it in a dorsal and slightly 

 proximal direction. 



In this way the ventral nucleus is divided in two portions , a 

 distal and ventral one much smaller than the proximal and 

 dorsal portion. 



The dorsal root , the peduncle crossing the nucleus , now sends 

 little bundles, containing S 20 fibres each, like the radiation of 

 a fan in both portions. Therefore the nucleus is making the impres- 

 sion , as if round the root-peduncle were a great number of little 

 medullated nerve-bundles, and between these, the cells of the ven- 

 tral nucleus are found. The little bundles have different directions. 

 The more dorsally and proximally they are situated, the more their 

 direction tends to become longitudinal. 



Now it may be demonstrated in frontal sections (for instance in 

 Plate II fig. 2 or Plate IV fig. 8) as well as in horizontal sections 

 (for instance Plate V fig. 9, fig. 10, Plate XI fig. 16 K or Plate 

 XIV fig. 14 A) that in the disto-ventral portion of the nucleus 

 nearly all the little bundles are degenerated. Whether only the 

 cochlea be removed or the root-sectioned the result in both cases 

 is a very intense degeneration in the disto-ventral part of the nucleus. 

 And after removal of the cochlea the degenerated fibres therein are 

 so many, that an increase, even if it took place after octavns- 

 section , would not be betrayed to the observator. 



The disto-ventral portion of the nucleus surely seems to receive 

 none but dorsal-root-fibres. 



With the dorso-proximal portion of the nucleus it is otherwise. 

 Indeed in this portion also degenerated fibres are found among the 

 little bundles, which it contains. 



But the farther distant the little bundles are from the root-peduncle, 

 according to their situation dorsally and proximally , the more the 

 number of degenerated fibres in them is reduced. (Plate IV fig. 8, 

 Plate V fig. 9 , Plate II fig. 2). In the dorso-proximal top of the 



