96 M Raspail's Ex^periments c/n the granules of Pollen. 



Art. XV. — Observations and Experiments tending to de^ 

 7no7istrate that the Granules which are discharged in the ex* 

 plosion of a grain of Pollen^ instead of being analogous to 

 spermatic Animalcules^ are not even organized Bodies.''^ By 

 M. Raspail. 



This memoir, which ought to form a continuation of the chap- 

 ter on the vegetable animalcules of Gleichen in my Memoir on 

 Organic Tissues^ -[- was drawn up at the time when a work' 

 on the same subject was presented to the judgment of the Aca- 

 demy of Sciences. As I had obtained results diametrically op- 

 posite to those of this last memoir, I felt it my duty to put off 

 the reading of mine, that I might not expose myself to the 

 suspicion of wishing to influence or retard the judgment of the 

 Academy. It is possible that I may at present expose myself 

 to a suspicion of a different kind ; but in the diflicult position 

 in which my researches have placed me, I must expose myself 

 to criticism to whichever side I turn, so that the only reason- 

 able step which I can take is to neglect my own defence, and 

 enter boldly upon the subject. 



I have several times observed the explosion of the grains of 

 pollen during nearly four years, especially at the time of my 

 particular experiments upon the subject of pollen ; and I never 

 observed any thing which appeared to me capable of giving 

 the slightest idea of the existence of a spontaneous motion. 



Nothing is more variable than the circumstances which ac- 

 company explosion. Sometimes we see issue out of what I 

 have called the hile of pollen, a vermicular substance which 

 appears to be formed as if drawn through an aperture. This 

 is described by Professor Amici under the name of a boyau. 

 But it is easy to prove that this mass is very often nothing less 

 than membranous and vesicular ; that it is composed of a sub- 

 stance insoluble in water ; and which, after the evaporation of 

 the water, dissolves entirely in alcohol and in ether. Professor 



• This impoitant Memoir, which M. Raspail has been so kind as to 

 communicate to us, will appear in the Memoires de la Societe D'Histoire 

 Nahtrelle de Paris, torn. iv. It was read at the Institute on the lOlh 

 March, and at the Society on the Hth March 1828.— En. 



t Mem. Soc. Nat. Hist, de Faris, toni. iii. p. 238. 1827. 



