413 



The following statement as to the Members of the Society was 

 read by the Chairman : — 



Ordinary Fellows at November 1855, 267 



Add one name omitted by mistake, 1 



268 

 Deduct dexeased — Sir G. Ballingall, Professor Gray, Colonel Madden, Mr John 

 Clerk Maxwell, Dr AVilson Philip,* General Martin White, Mr James 

 Wilson, 7 



261 



Resigned — Mr Forbes of Culloden, Mr Grant of Elchies, ... 2 



Struck off" for non-payment of Admission Fees — Mr E. Bonar, . . 1 



— 3 



258 

 But add new Fellows — Dr AUman, Mr Bryce, Mr Cleghorn, Mr Mitchell Ellis, 

 Mr James Hay, Dr Laycock, Professor Clerk Maxwell, Lord Neaves, Dr 

 Penny, Mr R. M. Smith, 10 



The following Communication was read : — 



On the Minute Structure of the Involuntary Muscular Tissue. 

 By Joseph Lister, Esq., F.R.C.S. Eng. and Edin. Com- 

 inimicated by Dr Christison. 



In this paper the author, after a short general account of the 

 different forms in which contractile tissue occurs in the human body, 

 describes at greater length the discovery made in 1847 by Professor 

 KoUiker, that involuntary muscular fibre is capable of being resolved 

 into nucleated elements, supposed to be of the nature of elongated 

 cells, and hence termed " contractile" or " muscular fibre-cells." 

 He then alludes to some authorities who object to this view of the 

 structure of involuntary muscle, and notices, especially, a paper by 

 Professor Ellis of University College, London, read befoie the Royal 

 Society of London in June of the present year (1856), in which 

 that distinguished anatomist expresses his belief that " the fibres are 

 long, slender, rounded cords of uniform width," and that the nuclei 

 " appear to belong to the sheath of the fibre ;" whence it is to be 

 inferred that KoUiker's fibre-cells are, in the opinion of jMr Ellis, 

 created by the tearing of the tissue in the preparation of the objects. 



* Dr Philip has been for seme years dead. 

 VOL. III. 2 M 



