THE SPINAL CORD AND CEREBELLUM 103 



of the same region, others pass towards the dorsal 

 column, to the lateral column, and by what is termed 

 the white commissure, to the opposite side of the 

 cord.* Some of the fibres of the anterior roots are 

 coarse and some are fine ; and it is natural to connect 

 the former with the skeletal muscles and the latter 

 with the vaso-motor, secreto-motor, and possibly- 

 secretory functions, and. as Bechterew suggests, with 

 the muscular tissue of the intestines. The last-named 

 physiologist quotes Gaskell's opinion that the fine 

 fibres of the anterior root are connected with the tract 

 of gray matter known as the intermedio-lateral, with 

 the post horn, and with Clarke's column. The 

 importance of this lies in the fact that fine fibres 

 from the posterior root seem to terminate in the 

 same locality or very near to it. 



The fibres of the posterior root may be divided into Fibres of 

 two or three principal bundles. Of these, one termed terio°root. 

 the median, consisting of coarse fibres, passes into the 

 external posterior column, and thence into the 

 postero-median column, carrying, it is thought, a great 

 proportion of the sensory impulses to the cerebral 

 cortex. Some fibres also pass to the vesicular cylinder 

 or Clarke's column, the large long cells of which 

 have been observed to be imbedded in fibres, t The 

 second bundle, called the lateral, is divided into an 

 intermediate bundle consisting of coarse fibres, which 

 pass directly into the gray matter of the posterior 

 horn, and a more external portion, composed of fine 

 * Foster, loc. cit, p. 949. f Ibid., pp. 934, 935. 



