THE JOURNAL OF Nervous and Mental Disease
Vol. III. APRIL, 1876. No. 2.
Original Articles, Selections and Translations.
Art. I.—GENERAL STRUCTURE AND MODES OF ACTION OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM*[1]
Necessity for having a general plan of the nervous mechanism—Not such as is usually found in works on anatomy and physiology— Relations of the nervous system at its peripheral and cephalic terminations—Mode of association of these extremes-Nervous system consists of two halves—Peculiarities of their association in different parts of their course—Unilateral actions—Bilateral actions—Extent and relations of the motor (kinesodic) and sensory (esthesodic) tracts, in the peripheral, spinal cord, medulla, etc., and cranial portions—Relations of these tracts in the cerebrum, of sensory tract to emotion and sense perception, of the motor tract to the will—Division of gray nervous matter—Cortex, basal ganglia—Gray tube—Cerebellum—Peripheral ganglia—Relations of these divisions to each other— Systems of fibres, etc., etc.
GENTLEMEN: The past few lectures, I have been occupied in giving you an account of the microscopic constituents of the nervous system, such as its peculiar cells and fibres, its neuroglia and connective tissue.
These are but the bricks, timber, and mortar, as it were, used in building up that singular organism or mechanism, which we call the Nervous System.
It is my purpose, next in order to make you acquainted with the general plan of structure, according to which the microscopic elements are disposed. It should be, one of the chief endeavors of the anatomist and physiologist to obtain, as far as possible, a correct knowledge of the mutual relations of all parts of the nervous system, from its most peripheral to its most central portions.
- ↑ * There will be three of these lectures. In substance they were given In course at the Chicago Medical College during the session of 1876-6.
