Re: Animal Spirits to Molecular Mechanisms
I agree with Zwimmer that Brazier's account is inaccurate as well as confusing-although not for the reason he states, because Willis and/or his cohorts were not in a position to make relevant microscopic observation even if they had tried. But more to the point, there is some confusion here on the definition of Remak "bands" and Remak "bundles" (neither relevant to this non-issue). During the past ~50 years, we've known that there is indeed transport of a variety of molecules from the cell body to the axon terminal, that this occurs at different rates, that there is also retrograde transport, and that axons lack ribosomes required for protein synthesis and thus are dependent upon transport of some large molecules.Surely we can allow the concept of 'animal spirit' before Willis and up to the discovery of fast impulse transmission, and is it a terrible leap to suggest that the concept is not exactly wrong? Axonal transport via the microtubular motor mechanism or the membranous "axonal reticulum' (the axonal ER) is clearly independent of impulse conduction and changing 'spirit' to 'molecule' solves the non-existent problem. Galen, Willis and many others were not that far off base, and by the time Brazier was writing she should have understood the state of knowledge about nerves, including much of the history of axon anatomy and terminology that has been written about with erudition by Sid Ochs. We look forward to reading his forthcoming book-what a happy surprise! Larry Kruger