214 Dr Martin Barry on the 



of physiology ; for instance, by Professor Goodsir, who there- 

 by makes a plain pathway through some of its most hidden 

 regions.* Thus for example it is that, regarding every nu- 

 cleus in his germinal membrane (Bowman's basement mem- 

 brane) as a germinal spot, — and keeping in view what he de- 

 nominates "that most important observation of Martin Barry 

 on the function of the nucleus in cellular development," — he 

 is enabled to shew, that epithelium cells have their origin in 

 the nuclei of that membrane, — an acknowledgment to me the 

 more valuable, from the fact, discovered by Goodsir, in the 

 ducts of glands, that the epithelium cell is the secreting organ. 



This brings me to notice a chapter by the same author, 

 entitled " Centres of Nutrition,^^ regarding which he writes 

 as follows : — " The phenomena presented by these centres 

 incline me to regard them as destined to draw from the ca- 

 pillary vessels, or from other sources, the materials of nutri- 

 tion, and to distribute them by development to each organ or 

 texture after its kind. In this way, they are to be considered 

 centres of germination; and I have elsewhere named them 

 germinal spots, adopting the latter term from the embryo- 

 logists. The centre of nutrition with which we are most fa- 

 miliar, is that from which the whole organism derives its 

 origin — the germinal spot of the ovum. From this all the 

 other centres are derived, either mediately or immediately ; 

 and in directions, numbers, and arrangements, which induce 

 the configuration and structure of the being.^f 



That I can have no hesitation in admitting all the attrac- 

 tive force here attributed by Professor Goodsir to those 

 centres, is obvious from its having been myself, I suppose, 

 who made known the fact, that " the whole organism derives 

 its origin from the germinal spot of the ovum;" and from 

 what 1 wrote six years ago on the subject of centres in ge- 

 neral. Thus, in the Philosophical Transactions for 1841, 

 p. 201, will be found the following words, already quoted, — 

 resulting, it will be seen, from my conviction that the ger- 

 minal spot process, described by myself, was the same in all 



* Anatomical and Pathological Observations by John Goodsir, F.R.S.E., &c. 

 and II. D. S. Goodsir, M.W.S. 1845. 

 t Loc. cit., p. 1- 



