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» Warscheinlich handelt es sich in der Punktmasse zum grosseren 
Theile um eine bindegewebige der Neuroglia der Vertebraten ver- 
gleichbare Substanz zu der die kleinen ovalen Kerne gehoren, welche 
im Innern der Marklager auftreten.« 
Newton, in his paper on the brain of the cockroach (1879), 
has not advanced much further than Floger in the knowledge of the 
dotted substance. Under a high power of the microscope, he says 
that, it exibits a fine reticulation the meshes of which are »extremely 
difficult to define«. In another part of the brain (the peduncles), he 
describes a »similar network, but not quite so fine, and tlie meshes are 
more elongated (fig. 14), especiall}^ towards the upper part, and it is 
this which gives it a fibrous appearance. It is, in fact, a bundle of 
fibres which freely anastomose with each other.« From this descrip- 
tion, and from the illustration, it is quite evident that the appearance 
which Newton describes as anastomosing fibres is produced by the 
sheaths of the slender nerve-tubes, they being transversally or semi- 
longitudinally transsected. Newton says that »the manner in which 
these remarkable nervous structures are connected with the other 
parts of the brain and nervous system has yet to be established.« 
Neither does he mention the origin of the nerve-tubes or their 
relation to the ganglion cells. On another occasion, he also mentions 
a network extending between the ganglion cells. He thinks it, 
however, to be probable »that connective tissue combines with 
nervous tissue to produce the appearance presented by their sections.« 
Michels (1880) has penetrated more closely, into the innei 
minute structure of the brain and ventral nerve-cord of Oryctes. He 
describes, very circumstantially, the course of the bundles of fibres 
and cell-processes through the fibrous mass. Though he has not quite 
understood the real nature of this substance he has, however, a view 
of it which is more correct than that of many other writers. He calls it 
»Fasersubstanz« instead of >;Punktsubstanz«, »weil ich nach Anfertigung 
von Langs- undOuerschnitten eine molekulåren Punktmasse, wieLeydig 
von den Nervencentren der Arthropoden beschreibt. nicht habe auf- 
finden konnen, vielmehr immer nur mannigfach sich durchsetzende 
Langs- und Querfaserziige wahrzuhnemen im Stande gewesen bin.« 
The greatest part of these »Faserzuge« especially the » Querfaser- 
ziige « spring, in his opinion, from the processes of the ganglion 
cells; his opinion evidently is also that most peripheral nerve-tubes 
spring directly from such processes. He describes numerous »Ouer- 
faserbundel«, »die, aus den Ganglienzellen der einen Seite ent- 
stehend, den peripheren Nerven der aoideren Seite bilden, jedoch 
