58 PROTOPLASM, 



of germinal matter, destitute of any cell-wall, and exactly 

 resembling those of which at an early period the embryo 

 is entirely composed. White blood and lymph corpuscles, 

 chyle corpuscles, many of the corpuscles in the spleen, 

 thymus and thyroid, corpuscles in the solitary glands, in 

 the villi, some of those upon the surface of mucous mem- 

 branes, some in connection with muscle, nerve, bone, carti- 

 lage, and some other tissues, are of this nature, and consist 

 of living germinal matter, with mere traces of soft formed 

 material around each mass. There is no structure through 

 which these soft livirg particles, or small portions of living 

 matter detached from them, may not make their way. The 

 destruction of tissue may be very quickly effected by the 

 growth and multiplication of such masses of germinal 

 matter. Many of the changes in disease result from the 

 undue growth of this substance, and indeed there is no 

 operation peculiar to living beings in which germinal .or 

 living matter does not take part. Any sketch of the struc- 

 ture of the cell would be incomplete without an account of 

 some of the essential alterations which occur in it in disease. 

 I propose, therefore, to refer very briefly to the general 

 nature of some of the most important morbid changes. 



Within certain limits, the conditions under which cells 

 ordinarily live may be modified without any departure from 

 the healthy state, but if the conditions be very considerably 

 changed, disease may result, or the cell may die. For 

 instance, if cells, which in their normal state grow slowly, 

 be supplied with an excess of nutrient pabulum, and increase 

 in number very quickly, a morbid state is engendered. Or 

 if, on the other hand, the rate at which multiplication takes 



