120. It is unfortunate that the term nerve-cell is applied to organites of very variable structure. Nerve-cell is a generic term of which the species are many; under it are designated organites in different stages--as infancy, childhood, and manhood are all included under Man. Most commonly by nerve-cell is understood the ganglionic corpuscle, conspicuous in its size and its prolongations, such as it appears in the great centres, and in ganglia. It also designates smaller different organites, sometimes called “nuclei” (_Kerne_), sometimes grains (_Körner_). There would be advantage in designating the earlier stages as _neuroblasts_, reserving the word _cells_ for the more developed forms. Such a distinction would facilitate the discussion of whether nerve-fibres had or had not their origin in cells; because while I, for one, see very coercive evidence against the accepted notion that all the fibres have their origin in the processes of ganglionic corpuscles, I see no reason to doubt that both fibres and corpuscles have their origin in neuroblasts. Of this anon. The cell is a composite organite, the primary element being a microscopic mass of protoplasm, or what may more conveniently be termed _neuroplasm_. It appears as finely granulated and striated or fibrillated substance on a hyaline ground, with water, fat, and diffused pigment in varying quantities. The cell contains a nucleus, and nucleolus--sometimes two. Like other animal cells, it sometimes has a distinct cell-wall, sometimes not. Its size and shape are variable: sometimes distinctly visible to the naked eye, generally visible only under the microscope.[140] It is round, oval, pyramidal, club-shaped, pear-shaped, or many-cornered. It has one, two, three, or many outgrowths called “processes,” and according to the processes it is known as unipolar, bipolar, and multipolar. When there are no processes the cell is called apolar. Some idea of these processes may be formed if they are likened to the pseudopodia of Amœbæ and Foraminifera. Compare Fig. 16, a nerve-cell, figured by Gerlach, with Fig. 17, one highly magnified, in which Max Schultze’s hypothesis is represented. [Illustration: Fig. 16.--_Nerve-cell from anterior horn of spinal cord (man), magnified 150 diameters._ _a_, cell process unbranched passing into or joining an axis cylinder, the other processes are branched; _b_, pigment. The nucleus and nucleolus are visible. ] [Illustration: Fig. 17.--_Nerve-cell from the anterior gray substance of the spinal cord of a calf magnified 600._ _a_, the axis cylinder; _b_, the branched process. The neuroplasm is represented as distinctly fibrillated, with granular substance interspersed. Nucleus and nucleolus very distinct.]