SCHÄFER, EDWARD ALBERT. - ESTABLISHING THE "NEURON DOCTRINE" AND NEURAL NETWORKS.

Observations on the Nervous System of Aurelia aurita.

(London, Harrison and Sons, 1879). 4to. No wrappers as extracted from "Philosophical Transactions" 1878 - Vol. 169 - Part II. Pp. 563-575 a. 2 lithographed plates. Clean and fine.

First printing of this pioneer paper introducing the concept of NEURAL NETWORKS and initiating the "NEURON DOCTRINE".
"His early histological work on the nerves of the jellyfish Aurelia aurita led to his very early promotion of the idea that nerve cells are structurally and functionally independent units.... This later became known as the ‘neuron doctrine’... Schäfer was led to study the structure of the subumbrellar nervous plexus in Aurelia aurita. He found that each nerve fiber was distinct from and nowhere structurally continuous with any other; he thought it reasonable to assume fiber-to-fiber transmission from "inductive action," possibly electric, the result being the same as if there were a real network."(DSB).

Order-nr.: 51665