[Changes in the central and peripheral nervous system in cows after laparotomy]

Two sexually mature cows were used for the studies in which operations were performed, consisting in cutting the abdominal tunics at a length of 30 cm in the left iliac region. The cows were kept alive for 21 days after the operation. Then they were slaughtered, taking the following material for studies: The spinal cord, bilateral spinal ganglions, bilateral subvertebral sympathetic ganglions and autonomous ganglions of abdominal and pelvic cavities. The material was embedded in paraffin and cut into 15 n sections, which were stained with methylene blue according to Nissel. Regressive changes in cells of many nervous centres due to the operations performed were found. They were found in: spinal ganglions of the lumbar and sacral segment, nuclei of spinal grey matter (nucleus motorius, nucleus dorsalis, nucleus intermediomedialis, nucleus intermediolateralis) in the lumbar and sacral segment and in the sympathetic subvertebral ganglions of the lumbar and sacral segment. Degeneration changes of the cells were observed only on the operated side.