An Introduction to the Study on the Nervous System of Ateles *

Our present-day knowledge of the organization and function of the nervous system is gained chiefly by the following methods of investigation: (1) the observation of spontaneous pathology, (2) experimental extirpation or stimulation, (3) recording of electrical activity, (4) developmental study, and (5) histological analysis which is aided by the technique of experimental degeneration. When such studies are made in a phylbgenetic series of animalscomparative neurology-they are of enhanced value in understanding the nervous system of man. Thus, comparative neurology in the narrow sense is a pure science; in the wider sense its goal is the elucidation of the form and function of the human nervous system. The comparative study of the nervous system in this broader sense has been evaluated by Fulton' as follows: