196 PROTOPLASM 



of the granules through " storing up of fat." The granules 

 are embedded in a "jelly-like substance," and play the most 

 important part in the phenomena of life exhibited by 

 protoplasm. As far back as 1886 Altmann pointed out 

 their analogy with Bacteria, which were supposed to be 

 certainly not cells. The great, and indeed determining 

 importance, which in 1886 he ascribed to them as the real 

 agents in carrying on and bringing about the processes of 

 metabolism, shrinks more into the background in his later 

 works. For instance, the assumption which he set up in 

 1886, that they were the means of transferring oxygen, is 

 at a later time no more to be found. This omission is 

 no doubt in connection with the fact that the alleged 

 activity of the granules was based, in any case, on their 

 supposed relation to chlorophyll granules ; but since the 

 latter structures no longer appear among the granules in 

 1890 as the result of Altmann becoming gradually convinced 

 that such a conception was untenable, this side of the activity 

 of the granules was necessarily made less of. 1 



The matrix of the protoplasm chiefly plays a part, 

 according to Altmann, in affording a vehicle for the physical 

 phenomena of life. In 1886 and 1887 he still admits 

 the existence in this matrix of special fibrils, which have 

 nothing to do with the granules. Thus in 1886 he asserts 

 that the axis-cylinder consists of fibrils, between which the 

 granules lie in rows. In 1887 he allows the occurrence of 

 fibrils and networks in the protoplasm in like manner, but 

 now they are to be derived from arrangements of the granules 

 in rows, in the same way as the filamentous Bacteria form 

 connected threads composed of numerous single individuals. 

 It sounds, at least to zoologists, very confusing, that Altmann 

 should call these threads formed by serial arrangement of 

 the granules " Nematodes." 



1 Zimmermaim in two of his works has studied Altmaiin's method of in- 

 vestigating granules in the vegetable cell. He seems, however, in opposition 

 to Altmann, to by no means regard the granules observed in them as 

 identical things. I am also unable to find in Zimmermann anything in favour 

 of regarding the chlorophyll granules and leucoplasts as "granula." Since 

 these structures themselves for the greater part possess granular contents, 

 there can be no question of any such comparison. 



