Spinal Cord
The spinal cord is that portion of the central nervous system contained within the canal of the vertebral column. It is cylindrical and about 18 inches long. It is a continuation of the brain stem and carries impulses to and from the brain.
The spinal cord is composed of a series of 31 segments, each segment giving rise to a pair of spinal nerves. Spinal nerves are a mixture of sensory and motor neurons which leave the spinal cord and spread out to form the peripheral nervous system. They carry information in and out of the central nervous system. Each pair of nerves is involved in the sensory and motor activity of a specific region of the body.
References
Antony, C.P. & G.A. Thibodeaw. 1979. Textbook of Anatomy and Physiology. The C.V. Mosby Company, St. Louis. 731 pp.
Van Amerongen, C. The Way Things Work; Book Of The Body. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1979.
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