The Life and Letters of George John Romanes, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S.Romanes, George John
Science
The Life and Letters of George John Romanes, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S.
Romanes, George John
Naturalists -- Great Britain -- Biography; Romanes, George John, 1848-1894
In another disc-shaped species of naked-eyed Medusæ with a long
polypite, which I have called _Tiaropsis indicans_, from its
habit of applying this long polypite to any part of the bell
which is being injured, the _localising_ function of the polypite
is destroyed as regards any area of bell-tissue between which
and the polypite a circumferential section has been introduced.
In other words, the connections between the bell and the
polypite, on which localising function of the latter depends,
are exclusively radial. But not so the connections between the
bell and the polypite, which render it possible for the one to be
aware that something is wrong _somewhere_ in the other. For if
the whole animal be cut into a spiral with the polypite at one
end, irritation of the other end of the spiral, or any part of
its length, causes the polypite to sway about from side to side
trying to find the offending body. And here it is important to
observe that wherever a portion of one of the radial tubes occurs
in the course of the spiral, irritation of that portion causes
a much stronger response on the part of the polypite than does
irritation of any of the general bell-tissue, even though this be
situated much nearer to the polypite. This seems to show that the
nervous plexus, if present, has its constituent fibres aggregated
into trunks in the course of the nutriment tubes.
Thus far, then, I should be inclined to adopt the nerve-plexus
theory. But lastly, we come to another species with a very
large bell and a very small polypite. Irritation of margin or
radial tubes causes the animal to go into a violent spasm, but
irritation of the general muscular layer only causes an ordinary
locomotor contraction. On cutting the whole animal into a spiral,
and irritating the extreme end of several marginal strips,
the entire muscular part of the spiral goes into spasm. On
interposing a great number of interdigitating cuts in the course
of the spiral, there is no difference in these results. Now the
question is, What is the nature of the tissue that conducts
impressions from the ganglionic tissue to the muscular, making
the latter go into a spasm? A spasm is as different as possible
from an ordinary contraction, and will continue to pass long
after the ordinary contractions have been blocked by severity
of section. It is scarcely possible to suppose a nerve-plexus
here--the tolerance towards section being so great, although it
varies in different cases. Besides, suppose this to be a segment
of animal cut as represented. On irritating margin at _a_ all
the bell goes into a spasm, and it is evident that whatever the
nature of the conductile tissue, all the connections must pass
through the tract of tissue at _b_. Yet on irritating that tract
no spasm is given. I cannot understand this on any view as to the
nature of the conductile tissue.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.]
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