598 Proceedings of the Boyal Society of Edinburgh. [Sess. 
There are two points of non-agreement in the description : — 
1. Argutinski’s middle cells never approach quite close to the lateral 
columns — a point which he insists on strongly, as distinguishing them from 
the Seitenhornzellen. Well, in the cord of the new-born I find that the 
reticular group not infrequently does lie a little way from the edge of the 
grey matter, sometimes even a considerable distance (particularly in D 3 
and D 12). Moreover, from the shape which the reticular group so often 
has, it is obvious from the accompanying diagram (fig. 1 ) that many frontal 
longitudinal sections would show the reticular group quite internal to the 
edge of the grey matter. But I cannot agree with nor explain his state- 
ment that the group never approaches quite to the lateral columns. 
2. He describes his cells as sometimes departing from their usual 
a. Apical group of the intermedio-lateral tract. 
b. Reticular group of the intermedio-lateral tract. 
cd. Line of a frontal longitudinal section which would show the 
reticular group quite internal to the edge of the grey matter, 
and in a position more usually occupied by middle cells. 
position, and being found more or less mesially, or even in the region of the 
anterior horn cells or Clarke’s column cells, and that all transitions may 
be found between these positions. It is obvious that here he must be 
referring to the real middle cells of Waldeyer, and I am in complete agree- 
ment with this statement. But when he says, further, that if the cell group 
is seen lying closer to the middle line, his middle cell group (reticular 
group) is absent from the usual place, I must part company from him, 
and can only differ without explaining. But certainly I have often 
observed a reticular group in its usual situation and a group of middle cells 
present in another part of the same section. 
So far as I am aware, no other writers have given any further account 
of the middle cells of the spinal cord. 
The present investigation was made on the spinal cord of a full-time 
healthy foetus. The cord was hardened in absolute alcohol and divided 
