Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: A contribution to the study of myelitis / by S.G. Webber. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.
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![to be materially clumged, but its smaller vessels were rather distended with blood. Ne}^e-Cells.— W\\\\B in the section fi-om the upper dorsal region only a solitary cell or two could be found in the anterior cornua, in the cervical enlargement many more Avere to be seen. Yet, compared with the normal number, they were very few, and of those which remained not one came up to the healthy standard in regard to size, the immber of processes, or the appearance of their contents. They were, with a few ex- ceptions, much below the average size of healthy cells; most had not more than one process, and in many this was wanting. Several still contained a nucleus and nuclpolus, but the content? were more coarsely granular than in health, without any in- crease of pigment. The cells occupying the regions named by Clarke the vesicular columns and the tractus intermedio lateralis, had suffered to a similar degree ; those of the pos- terior cornua had undergone less change, yet were rather fewer in number and decidedly less in size, with less numerous j)ro- cesses, yet they had quite generally retained their nuclei. The vessels were nearly or quite normal, excepting an in- crease of nuclei in their external or perivascular sheath. ]No thickening of their walls could be recognized. Around many of the vessels was an exudation which had hardened by the action of the chromic acid, was strongly tinted by carmine, and had an amorphous, sometimes slightly granular, appear- ance. This exudation was confined chiefly to the gray sub- stance, and especially the right posterior cornu. Wherever the exudation was only small in extent, it w^as in close relation to a bloodvessel; when, however, it was extensive, a blood- vessel was not always to be seen near it. Because of its rela- tion to bloodvessels in so many cases, I mention it in connec- tion with them ; for I believe it to be a true exudation from them, and not inerely broken-doMai nerve-tissue. It is not easy to describe the condition of the white columns. The nerve-fihres were much changed, indeed scarcely any were normal. The spaces occupied by them were clearly to be seen, but instead of being filled with the medullary sheaths and axis cylinders, there was nothing to be seen but a homogeneous mass not colored by carmine; occasionally an axis cylinder](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b2228834x_0008.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
