MULTIPLE NEUROMATA OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM. 743 
as nerve trunks. He therefore regards them not as aberrant anterior root fibres, but 
as true anterior roots leaving the spinal cord in an a-typical way. Both OrzEcHowsKI 
and Rec suggest that the frequent presence of medullated fibres in the pia in tabes 
_ represents one of the stigmata of the increased vulnerability of the tabetic cord. 
In reviewing these findings of neuroma of the spinal cord it will be seen that all 
_ writers refer to miscroscopic nodules that lie in the grey or white matter or in the pia 
and its septa, that are perceptible in only a few successive sections, and that contain 
medullated nerve fibres with a sheath and nucleus of Schwann. The nerve fibres are 
finer than those of the surrounding tissue, and present numerous varicosities. ORZE- 
cHOWSKI has classified neuromata of the spinal cord into two groups. The one is 
‘related to a regeneration of fibres of the central nervous system. This origin of 
‘neuroma is probable where any lesion of the cord or roots is present, causing an 
‘interruption of the fibres, e.g. FicKLER’s case (spondylitis tuberculosa), WAGNER'S 
experiments on cats, Nacgorre’s in hemisection of the cord and in tabes, Tomas, 
‘TovcHe, and Jacop’s in Pott’s disease, possibly also in the cases of syringomyelia of 
‘Raymonp, SCHLESINGER, SaxER, Herverocu, BiscHorswERDER, and HavsrEr. The 
other group includes those cases in which there was no fibre interruption, and con- 
sequently could be looked upon not as a reparatory process but as abnormally placed 
nerve fibres. This interpretation was the more plausible as there were frequently 
present other malformations. To this category belong Swiratskr’s case in which the 
neuromata were accompanied by aplasia of the cerebellum, the cases of pial neuromata 
which must be regarded as aberrant or abnormally placed nerve fibres, and to this 
group also more probably belong the neuromata found in syringomyelia. ORZECHOWSKI 
thinks that to the neuromata described by HeEtiicH as abnormally placed centripetal 
tracts an independent position may be ascribed on account of their functional character. 
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