Atlas of photographs of sections of the frozen cranium and brain of the cat (Felis domestica) / by R. H. Clarke and E. E. Henderson.
- Clarke, Robert Henry, 1850-1926
- Date:
- [1911]
Licence: In copyright
Credit: Atlas of photographs of sections of the frozen cranium and brain of the cat (Felis domestica) / by R. H. Clarke and E. E. Henderson. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by UCL Library Services. The original may be consulted at UCL (University College London)
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![there are still debateable questions of morphology which have not been finally ettled As a rule we have followed recognised descriptions, and m the few instances ^ere we h vT departed from them, have explained our reasons We are mainly mdebtedto Flatau and Jacotsohn (4), for the brain of the cat and tc> Langley (5) ofthlt of the dog, the latter of which has been adopted by Trendelenher, (6). Em VL (i) ha' dealt with the subject chiefly from the stand-point of com- ; ,rive morphology. We do not venture to criticise any of his conclusions from tha tandpoint, bui it is not ours, winch is simply topographical and we are no that descriptive anatomy and comparative morphology can always be brough nto line It appears to us that in some cases, either homology or description must be sacrificed, and those who are mainly concerned with the practical application of topographical anatomy, will prefer to accept the fact that apparent similarity is not necessarily homology, and retain some terms which have been generally adopted, even though open to objection, rather than venture on all that a strictly, scientific terminology would involve. For example, the Sylvian fissure in is not homologous with the fissure that goes by that name m the cat ([Elhot SmUh (1)] but the term has been generally adopted and in use for a considerable period and several of the gyri and sulci of the hemisphere are called by the name Sylvian or a compound of it. It would be very inconvenient to rename them all and to stamp the unfortunate furrow with imposture by calling it pseudo-Sylvian; and if pseudo- Sylvian why not ecto-pseudo-Sylvian, supra-pseudo-Sylvian, etc. ? We think it a lesser evil to accept established names admitting of course that the nomenclature is morphologically incorrect. Another instance of conflict between the objects of scientific morphology on the one hand and practical utility on the other may be found in the fissures of the vermis cerebelli; morphologically these are of the greatest importance, but in the cat, for descriptive purposes, the secondary fissure at any rate is of no value. The secondary fissure of Elliot Smith separates the pyramid from the uvula, it is developed early and found in many species, and he reckons it next in importance to the primary fissure. But in the adult cat the lobules for- ming the nodule, uvula, and pyramid, are generally offshoots of a common stem of white matter, and there is often a very insignificant fissure between the uvula and pyramid, making it difficult to say whether the secondary fissure is defective or represented by a, usually deep, fissure between the pyramid and sigmoid lobe, a question more likely to puzzle the expert than enlighten the novice. The brain of the cat. The general conformation and the disposition of the cerebral sulci and gyri can be apprehended most easily by studying the drawings and photographs in which we have indicated the descriptive terms usually adopted. A few additional words of comment and explanation are necessary. In the drawings of the standard head we have indicated the infra-lateral sulcus as dividing the intra-lateral gyrus throughout its length. We have no records of the point but our impression is that in the majority of cats there is no sign of an intra-lateral sulcus. In most of the remainder it appears in some rudimentary form such as a slight groove, or a fissure extending only a short distance forwards, and not to the full extent, as shown in the drawing; occasionally it is fully developed.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21639760_0013.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
