i?o PROTOPLASM 



rule, it was very changeable, since spontaneous and con- 

 tinual alterations took place in it. Fusions of filaments and 

 granules of the network were frequently to be observed, but 

 on the other hand the nets might also break up into granules. 

 Indeed it could even be observed that all the structured 

 portions might vanish transitorily, so that the protoplasm 

 became quite homogeneous. In the reverse way such homo- 

 geneous protoplasm could change back into reticular by 

 reappearance of the framework. By fusions such as have 

 been mentioned above, the walls of vacuoles, and even 

 entire nuclei, were formed. In this way he again supported 

 the view here that nuclei might arise under the influence 

 of the induction-current, or spontaneously, in the proto- 

 plasm. As before, he maintained the direct connection 

 between the framework of the nucleus and the protoplasm. 

 The nuclear membrane is said to be interrupted by finer or 

 coarser gaps for the passage through it of the filaments of 

 the network. In fact, it is really, on the whole, only a 

 thickening of the framework. In the same way the sur- 

 face of the cell is not surrounded by a continuous layer or 

 lamella of the framework, but limited in the same manner 

 as the surface of the nucleus. 



The view of Schmitz with regard to the nature of vege- 

 table protoplasm was adopted soon afterwards by Beinke 

 and Bodewald (1881 and 1882) for the protoplasm of 

 ^Ethalium septicum, and supported by further proofs. From 

 experiments which they made by compressing the objects, 

 both investigators concluded that the protoplasm of the 

 ^Ethalia, especially that of the fructifying cakes which collect 

 on the surface of the tan, consisted of a firm ground 

 substance and a fluid enchylema. They succeeded in 

 obtaining 6 6 per cent of fluid enchylema by forcibly pressing 

 it out, while the substance of the framework remaining 

 behind formed a solid and rather dry cake. With a centri- 

 fugal, however, it was not possible to separate the two 

 substances. On the ground of these and other experiments, 

 they assumed the presence of a spongy framework of plastic 

 and contractile nature in the protoplasm, which was 

 permeated by the fluid, albuminous enchylema, and shut 



