278 g Extracts from "Current ' 
“Thirdly, a slight,,loss of bulk in the gray matter of the cord, on the 
side of the lost member, near the origin of its nerves, without any 
intimate change discernable by the microscope. 
“ Lastly, a remarkable shrinking of the posterior column of the cord 
on the side of the mutilation, attended by a condensation of areolar tissue. 
The atrophy extends upwards, and in the case of the loss of an arm can 
be traced into the^medulla oblongata as far as the upper limit of the 
decussation of thejpyramids. 
“ The cerebrum and cerebellum remain unchanged. 
“I am aware that many details relating to this subject remain to be 
worked out, and I should have waited for further opportunities had not 
my purpose been forestalled by M. Vulpian, who has, since these observa¬ 
tions were made, published two similar cases. 
“His results differ very materially from mine. Both the cases he 
reports were amputation of the leg, a little distance above the ankle. In 
one case the leg had been removed for 47 years, in the other for 20 years. 
In both cases M. Vulpian describes the spinal cord as slightly lessened in 
bulk on the side of the amputation. This diminution affected the gray mat¬ 
ter generally, the white matter with the exception of the fosterior column. 
“The cells of gray matter were not altered in character, or appreciably 
in number. In one of the cases some spots of disintegration were sup¬ 
posed to exist in the gray horn. No changes were detected in the nerves 
'>r nerve-roots. 
from those 0 i>i 1 
OO 
George Engelmann Papers 
