Text Book of Biology, Part 1: VertebrataWells, H. G. (Herbert George)
Science
Text Book of Biology, Part 1: Vertebrata
Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)
Biology -- Textbooks
Section 109. A little more attention must now be given to the
detailed anatomy of the peripheral and central nerve ends. A nerve, as
we have pointed out, terminates centrally in some ganglion cell, either
in a ganglion or in the spinal cord or brain; peripherally there is a
much greater variety of ending. We may have tactile (touch) ends
of various kinds, and the similar olfactory and gustatory end organs;
or the nerve may conduct efferent impressions, and terminate in a
gland which it excites to secretion, in a muscle end-plate, or in fact,
anywhere, where kataboly can be set going and energy disengaged.
We may now briefly advert to the receptive nerve ends.
Section 110. Many sensory nerves, doubtless, terminate in fine ends
among the tissues. There are also special touch corpuscles, ovoid
bodies, around which a nerve twines, or within which it terminates.
Section 111. The eye (Figure 8) has a tough, dense, outer coat, the
sclerotic (sc.), within which is a highly vascular and internally
pigmented layer, the choroid, upon which the percipient nervous layer,
the retina (r.) rests. The chief chamber of the eye is filled with
a transparent jelly, the vitreous humour (v.h.). In front of the eye, the
white sclerotic passes into the transparent cornea (c.). The
epidermis is continued over the outer face of this as a thin,
transparent epithelium. The choroid coat is continued in front by a
ring-shaped muscle, the iris (ir.) the coloured portion of the eyes. This
iris enlarges or contracts its central aperture (the black pupil)
by reflex action, as the amount of light diminishes or increases.
Immediately behind this curtain is the crystalline lens (l.), the
curvature of the anterior face or which is controlled by the ciliary
muscle (c.m.). In front of the lens is the aqueous humour (a.h.). The
description of the action of this apparatus involves the explanation of
several of the elementary principles of optics, and will be found by
the student in any text-book of that subject. Here it would have no
very instructive bearing, either on general physiological considerations
or upon anatomical fact.
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