Section of the spinal cord (at the level of Th. 4) showing degeneration of the tract of Burdach (fasciculus cuneatus), a degeneration which extends up into the cervical region of the cord. This rare condition is called "cervical tabes" and, since the tract of Burdach conveys proprioceptive impulses from the upper limb, it leads to loss of postural sense, tactile discrimination and localization, and vibration sense in the upper limbs. The patient would have difficulty in carrying out fine manipulations accurately. He would also lose the discriminative sensibility of his fingers and if, for example, he placed his hand in his pocket, he would not be able to pick out one coin from another just by the sense of touch.

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