# What is the spinal cord?

The the spinal cord is called the spinal cord. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as a long, cylindrical bundle of nerve fibers.

## What it means

- A long, cylindrical bundle of nerve fibers.
- Continuous above with the medulla oblongata.
- Gives origin to 31 pairs of spinal nerves.

## Action steps

1. Runs down the vertebral canal from the foramen magnum.
2. Ends at about the level of the first or second lumbar vertebra.
3. Surrounded by the meninges and cerebrospinal fluid.

## Sources

- [Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918)](https://www.bartleby.com/107/)

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