106 FARRERAS
through asphyxia neonatorum, nitrogen asphyxiation, and the adminis
tration of reserpine and other drugs; and 4) technical development in
the area of tissue fixation and chemical substance preservation.^3
Jan H. W. Cammermeyer became chief of the Section on Experi
mental Neuropathology on March 1, 1954.^4 His section’s main objec
tive was to determine myelopathies and, toward that aim, the studies
involved: 1) the histological and physical qualities of the brain and
spinal cord in various species at different ages that provided a baseline
for experimental myelopathy; 2) the distribution of extradural fat;
3) the development of a procedure whereby the volume and size of
the spinal cord in several species was estimated based on the animal’s
size and growth; and 4) the relationship of extra- and intraspinal fluid
factors and spinal cord malfunction.^5
Grant L. Rasmussen arrived to become chief of the Section on
Functional Neuroanatomy on November 1, 1954. The overall focus of
this section was on “nervous pathways and connections of the brain
and spinal cord, with emphasis on the neural mechanisms of auditory
and vestibular function.”^6 Specifically, the section was involved in
studies looking at: 1) the effects of brain lesions and drugs on tem
perature regulation and metabolism and the pathways and types of
receptors involved in temperature regulation; 2) the origin, course
and termination of the various fiber constituents of the medial longi
tudinal fasciculus in the brain stem and spinal cord with a technique
developed within the section for selective silver impregnation of synap
tic endings; 3) the auditory afferent and efferent systems, including auto
nomic innervation of the inner ear, especially the cochlear nucleus; 4) the
anatomical and physiological study of the ascending and descending
visceral efferent connections of brain and spinal cord; 5) the efferent
nervous component of the vestibular nerve; 6) the innervation of the
vestibular and auditory apparatus of the chinchilla; and 7) the fiber
connections of the area postrema of the medulla oblongata.^7
In the late spring of 1956, Sanford L. Palay of Yale University join
ed the laboratory and became chief of the Section on Neurocytology.^8
Pending the arrival of an electron microscope and some permanent
facilities, this section had been conducting research on cytochemical
techniques detailing the chemical analysis of single neurons, the effects