The Anatomy of the Central Nervous Organs in Health and Disease

Front matter

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Preface To The English Edition

No apology is necessary for placing before the English student of neurology Professor Obersteiner*s exact and impartial account of the anatomy of the central nervous system. The labour of selecting from the mass of literature, with which the subject is every year enriched, the facts of greatest importance, and the theories which harmonise most with one another, must have been immense. It would only be right that the students of all countries should be allowed to participate in the result.

In giving an English dress to Professor Obersteiner's text, we have attempted to transpose its forms of expression into the English mode. The translator has always held that to transform a book from one language into another needs the collaboration of members of both nationalities, and he wishes to express his indebtedness to Fraiilein Eloss for having read through the whole of the German text with him. He has also been in constant communication with Professor Obersteiner, who has not only explained obscure passages, but has also added much new matter and made numerous alterations, which give to the English version the value of a new edition.

All additions to the text made by the translator are included in square brackets [ ]. He is also responsible for all footnotes, for the introduction of figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 5a, 6, 8, 19a, 34, 57, 149, 150, 151, 156, 157, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, and for the Appendix. In going through Professor Obersteiner's work, care has been taken to check the references in the text, and in the footnotes to the figures, where they have been re-arranged alphabetically. Some trouble has also been spent upon the Index, into which the terms used in the German edition have

b

VI PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION.

been introduced^ in order that the reader, who is acquainted with such terms in their German dress — and some of them have not hitherto made their appearance in English — may have the opportunity of looking up the structures which they designate in this text-book. When doing this it seemed worth while to give the commoner synonyms and French equivalents. Not that the glossary has any pretentions to lexicographical completeness — ^it is merely tlie translator's working vocabulary.

No attempt has been made to keep step with the German edition in typography. Capital letters are used to call attention to the sections, while Italics are restricted to the names of observers quoted as authorities ; personal names which are used as the appellations of structures or methods are printed in ordinary type.

The spelling of the word "neurogleia" will probably attract the attention of the reader. Neurogloea would undoubtedly be more correct, but would affect the pronunciation. In German the spelling "neuroglia" is perhaps unexceptionable, but it makes a terrible word when pronounced in the English fashion. Not only the spelling of the term but also its application is, however, open to discussion. It appears to the translator to be a useful term when applied to the connective-tissue of the central nervous system, which differs from other forms of connective-tissue in ite origin from epiblast; whereas, when restricted to the "matrix" it gives an undesirable definiteness to what is, after all, a hypothetical substanca

DOWKINO COLLBGS LoDOB,

March, 189a

Preface To The German Edition

Some decades ago our knowledge of the intimate structure of the central nervous system was still very insufficient — so insufficient^ indeed, that pathology W£^s able to make little use of it. Hence we can understand how, of the little that was known, the practi* tioners of the time, with very few exceptions, made use of the most striking facts only, and had to be content with an extreme poverty of data.

Since then, however, a succession of distinguished observers^ supported by the improvements made in method, have, with surprising rapidity, successively thrown more light into the chaos of manifold nerve-paths and their nodal points; and therefore it had to be acknowledged in practical medicine that the brain- and spinal cord-anatomy (until now so contemptuously set aside) — despite their difficulty — are worthy of the most exhaustive consideration. Nay more, regions which seem to stand far enough away from nerve-pathology — ophthalmology, osteology, and even dermatology — have come to feel the need of a fundamental orientation of the central nervous organs.

To meet this want we possess now, especially in German, a number of most excellent anatomical text-books. But as no part of anatomy (least of all, perhaps, the anatomy of the nervous system) can be learnt from books, students and physicians seek out the laboratories where opportunity is offered them of making themselves familiar with the structure of the brain and spinal cord. Certainly, the establishment of ideally-equipped laboratories for the study of brain anatomy, such as His wanted at the meeting of the Berlin Association of Naturalists of I8S6,

Vlll PREFACE TO THE GERMAN EDITION.

will long remain pium deaiderium. At present, teachers and students must be content vrith the incomplete commencements of such institutions as already exist in some of the larger universities.

Experience has now taught me what are the justifiable claims which a beginner, who does not yet wish to become a specialist in the subject, may make upon a text-book. Especially must I assert that while, on the one hand, it is superfluous to go into incompletely established details (a course which is likely, indeed, to produce a depressing and confusing effect), yet, on the other hand, some information with regard to pathological processes should most certainly be given.

In the following pages I have tried to provide the student with a trustworthy and reliable guide, with which, in the absence of any other teacher, he may undertake the troublesome journey through the several regions of the central nervous system. Hence, I have continually introduced directions for making preparations : the numerous illustrations, although they are true to nature (with the exception of those which are purely diagrammatic), are only meant to facilitate the study of original preparations — ^not to replace them.

Any one who has the opportunity of visiting a laboratory with a good collection of ready-made preparations can with advantage use these, and so save himself much expenditure of time and patience in making a set of sections for himself. When, however, circumstances allow, working with the knife not only gives the dexterity necessary for undertaking independent investigations, but anatomical relations imprint themselves much more firmly upon the memory when one makes the sections for oneself, and, in especial, one obtains a clearer view of the situation of the several elements relatively to one another.

Good drawings and cleverly executed models facilitate the comprehension of difiBcult anatomical relations. With regard to models, however, it must be said that as yet we do not possess

Preface To The German Edition. IX

any that are completely satisfactory. Of the very artistic, but also very expensive, model of Aeby, His says, most truly, that although vhen we have it before us it seems very clear and transparent, it does not stand the test so soon as the eyes are removed from it.

The work under discussion, therefore, differs in many respects from existing text-books of brain-anatomy.

First, as to the manner in which the material is presented, the strictly didactic standpoint is maintained ; whether the student makes preparations for himself or not, he can follow the route prescribed for him in the book. The more detailed histological relations are treated separately. The attempt has been made, while not overlooking any of the more important facts concerning the central nervous system, to avoid such minute details as should be left for special research.

The introduction of pathologico-anatomical observations, especially of the pathological changes in the elements, will prepare the road for the comprehension of the processes of disease in the central nervous system without its being in the least intended to work out an exhaustive pathological anatomy of these organs.

That a special value has been attributed to numerous and good illustrations has been already mentioned. In the choice of illustrations, which have been throughout executed in the xylographic establishment of V. Eder of Vienna in the most satisfactory way from original drawings, it is to be understood that a certain restraint had to be imposed to prevent the price of the book from becoming excessive. On this account, especially for drawings 118 to 136, the question had to be discussed whether the preparations chosen should be stained with carmine or according to Weigert's method. When I chose the former, I did so on the ground that I wished the illustrations to be true reproductions of the original preparations. Successful Weigert's-preparations from the adult are hardly to be made sufficiently instructive with low magnification ; whereas preparations from the embryo were

X PREFACE TO THE GERMAN EDITION.

to be avoided on aocount of the difficulty which the student would find in getting the material.

I suppose I need not point out that the presentation of the material rests throughout upon autoptic observations ; when facts are stated on the ground of the observations of other authors, this is in every case noted.

The usefulness of this book is further increased by the addition of an index.

HEINRICH OBERSTEINER.

ViEN.KA, October^ 1887.

Contents

PAOS

IHTBODCCTIOX, .

Kkthods of Examination, ......

Introduction

An investigation of the complicated characters which distinguish the fine structure of the brain and spinal cord is impossible without a previous acquaintance with the more obvious features of their external configuration. Details of fine structure are often difficult to grasp, and their comprehension is facilitated by filling them into a mental outline of the organ to which they belong. Therefore, as soon as the first section (devoted to methods of study most in vogue) is disposed of, we shall give an account of the more obvious microscopical features of the cerebro-spinal axis, especially its external mouldings, and of such details presented by cross-sections through the brain at various levels as can be recognised without further preparation (seCOnd section — morphology).

Before commencing the microscopical investigation of the central nervous system by means of transparent sections, acquaintance must be made with the characters of the histological elements of which it is made up. In the third sectlon an account is given of the more important nervous and non-nervous constituents of the system in health, and also of the changes to which they are subject in disease.

Next, the spinal cord is described as being relatively the simplest part of the central nervous organs (fourth SOCtion).

After this, we suppose (fifth SOCtlon) that a number of cross-sections, not constituting an unbroken series, but useful for microscopical investigation, are made through the spinal cord and brain. During the preparation of such sections and their necessary examination with an ordinary magnifying-glass, one becomes acquainted with many &cts concerning their organisation, especially as one can trace from section to section the changes in topographical distribution which their constituents undergo. The same routine must be followed by any one who investigates a series of sections which he has not cut for himself He ought first to make a general survey of his preparations with a magnifying-glass, and try to obtain a stereoscopic picture of their more important features.

This done, we shall attempt, on the ground work of knowledge thus obtained, to follow individual bundles, trace their divisions and con-

2 INTRODUCTION.

nections, and determine their end-points. This is the object of the sixth sectioil, which treats first of the fibre-routes in the spinal cord, and then of the cranial nerves. Their finer relations are rendered intelligible by a study of the structure of the cerebellum and cerebrum.

The concluding section (the SOVenth) is devoted to the cavities of the central nervous system, which stand in such close anatomical and physiological relation to the brain and cord as to deserve a special description.