The Hahn-Mazurkiewicz theorem for hereditary locally connected continua (Q1263832)

The main theorem states that every hereditarily locally connected continuum is the continuous image of an arc. It is first shown that it follows from a result of \textit{S. Mardešić} [Rad. Jugoslav. Akad. Znanost., Umjet. 319, Odj. Mat. Fiz. Tehn. Nauke No.8, 147-166 (1960; Zbl 0116.146)] that every hereditarily locally connected continuum is the limit of an inverse system of hereditarily locally connected metric continua with monotone bonding maps. Considerations involving inverse limit systems are largely replaced by considerations involving transfinite inverse limit sequences by making use of some very general results developed by the author in [Bull. Pol. Acad. Sci., Ser. Math. (to appear)] and summarized in this paper as Lemma 2.7. The main theorem is used to prove that every hereditarily locally connected continuum is rational, i.e., rim-countable. The question of whether every locally connected rational continuum is the continuous image of an arc is left open, but the author together with H. M. Tuncali and E. D. Tymchatyn has given a counterexample in a recent preprint. Other related questions and examples are discussed in the last two sections of the paper.