Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026

Assessment of Ultrastructural Neuroplasticity Parameters After In Utero Transduction of the Developing Mouse Brain and Spinal Cord
Published on: February 26, 2019
[Jirí Procháska (1749-1820) II.: the structure of the nervous tissue]
1Ustav experimentální medicíny AVCR, v.v.i, Praha. chvatal@biomed.cas.cz
Abstract:
The treatise "De structura nervorum" by Jirí Procháska was published in 1779 after his appointment as a professor in Prague. This work is remarkable not only for its anatomical and histological findings, but also for its historical introduction, which contains a very detailed bibliographical review of previous knowledge about the structure of the nervous tissue. The treatise "De structura nervorum" has never been translated from the Latin language, but as a historical document about the level of neuroscience research conducted by a famous Czech researcher, it deserves further analysis. The present article includes a historical overview of knowledge about the structure of nervous tissue up to the late 18th century from the perspective of today, a translation of the historical introduction about the medieval knowledge of the structure of the nervous tissue and documenting the way in which Jirí Procháska processed his bibliography, a translation and interpretation of his neurohistological observations and an analysis of the results in the light of current knowledge.
Related Concept Videos
Organization of the Nervous System
The CNS, comprising the brain and spinal cord, houses billions of neurons. The brain is housed in the skull, while the spinal cord is linked to the brain through the foramen magnum of the occipital bone and is surrounded by the protective structure of the vertebral column. It is responsible for processing various...
Nervous Tissue: Neuron Types
Structurally, neurons are categorized into three main types: multipolar, bipolar, and unipolar (or pseudounipolar). Multipolar neurons, which are the most common type in the brain and spinal cord, as well as all motor neurons, possess multiple dendrites and a single axon.
Bipolar neurons, on the other hand, have one primary dendrite and one axon. They are...
Nervous Tissue: Myelin
Schwann cells begin to form myelin sheaths around axons during fetal development. They wrap around a small...
Neuron Structure
Neuron Structure
Structure and Function of Neurons
The neuronal cell body—the soma— houses the nucleus and organelles vital to...
Nervous Tissue: Glial Cells
The CNS glial cell includes the astrocytes, the oligodendrocytes, the microglia, and the ependymal cells.
Astrocytes are star-shaped glial...

