FUNCTIONAL AND HISTOLOGIC STUDIES OF SOMATIC AND AUTONOMIC NERVES OF MAN

Abstract

During the past seven years it has been possible at various times to secure human nerves fresh enough for physiologic and histologic studies similar to those which we carried out on animal nerves. The present paper summarizes these results and compares the observations on human nerves to those on the corresponding nerves of laboratory animals. References to other publications on this subject have been included in our previous papers reporting investigations on animal nerves, to which the reader is referred as occasion arises. Most of the specimens were secured under conditions as favorable as are possible with laboratory animals, while with others some delay was unavoidable. Material taken for biopsy or at operation could be utilized within fifteen minutes, while with certain material obtained at coroner's autopsies on persons who died by violence about an hour elapsed before the action potentials of the nerves were recorded. This resulted in a