The Extrapyramidal System

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Abstract
The extrapyramidal system, like the pyramidal, is not an existential fact, but a conceptual abstraction. Subjected to critical examination in the light of modern symbolic logic (including Boolean algebra) and general semantics, the available data bearing on its anatomy, physiology and the pathogenesis of the so-called extrapyramidal disorders and diseases appear irreconcilable, often self-contradictory. This statement applies to the technologic data and to the broader notion of the "system" itself. A historical review reveals how the current concept and definition evolved through a series of semantic errors, beginning with the previously established concept of a pyramidal system. It is suggested that out present concept(s) are oversimplified and mythical accounts which are more consistent with prevailing intuitions, predilections and prejudices than with available data. An operational approach for revising present doctrines along more promising lines is proposed.