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The likely cellular structure of the living mammalian nervous systemFigure 7. Isolated human hypoglossal neuron from a 62-year-old female, to show the dendritictree (phase contrast, x 375).A neuron is a bloated looking cell shaped like a depth charge with up to about 12 fattishdendrites arising from it (Figure 7). The concave body usually illustrated is that of a cell shrunkby histological or electron microscopic preparation.The cell body is enclosed by a single-layered membrane, whose thickness is unknownand possibly unknowable. The figures of 7-10 nm are measured from electron micrographs. Thechemistry of the cell membranes is currently only speculation. It was worked out for red bloodcells, and assumed to be applicable to all cell membranes, and some of the measurements weremade using subcellular fractionation, which ignores the second law of thermodynamics. Theorientation of the lipid and protein molecules of which it is believed to consist is largely based on29