1 88 1. 41 Trans. N. Y. Ac. Set. 



closed, whether lined or unlined, whether in " homogeneous basis-sub- 

 stance," or "between layers of cells," or " in cement-substance,"' then, 

 too, the bioplasson doctrine would be erroneous. 



But the result of my observations, especially those illustrated in figs. 

 2, 3, and 4, admit of but one interpretation, and that an interpretation 

 favorable to the bioplasson doctrine. It is unnecessary to more than 

 mention that although I have placed on record so few, I have made 

 many different examinations, under many different circumstances, and 

 with varying powers of amplification. I need occupy myself here with 

 only the two fields drawn in figs. 3 and 4, with an amplification of 600 

 and 1200 respectively. The remarkable specimens from which they 

 are taken show more conclusively than it was ever before shown what 

 the structure or constitution of hyaline cartilage really is. I think I 

 have explained this sufficiently, but its full significance appears in its 

 corroboration of the bioplasson doctrine. 



To be able to uphold the cell-doctrine, cartilage would have to be, 

 using a homely comparison, like a cake composed of hard dough with 

 raisms. No matter how widely we may extend the definition, to remain 

 within the boundary of the cell-doctrine this metaphor must be appli- 

 cable. Innumerable painstaking researches have led to various modifi- 

 cations of notions entertained regarding the structure of the two con- 

 stituents of the cake and their relation to each other. It may be seen 

 by the most recent publications on the subject, that the acceptation of 

 the existence in the dough of cleavage in certain directions, of inter- 

 laminary and interfibrillar spaces, and of offshoots, even ramifying pro- 

 longations of the raisin-substance, or, at all events, of an ingredient of 

 the raisins, is held to be not incompatible with the cell-doctrine. If, 

 however, we can represent cartilage as a filigree or framework of 

 raisin-substance, in the meshes or interspaces of which framework 

 blocks of dough are imbedded, certainly the fundamental view of the 

 ultimate construction of the tissue is changed, and we are no longer in 

 accord with the cell-doctrine, even though we be inclined to use that 

 term m the widest possible sense. Look for a moment at the two illus- 

 trations on the blackboard, as well as at figs. 2, 3, and 4. The upper 

 figure represents a section of cartilage stained with gold chloride. 



This, as I have already explained, stains the living matter and leaves 

 the basis-substance unstained. High powers exhibit the appearance, 

 etc., etc. In regard to a name as a substitute for the term "cell,'' I 

 would say that all corpuscular masses may be called, simply, corpuscles 



1 These statements of the general belief are quoted from the introductory paragraph of Thin's 

 memoir, " On the Structure of Hyaline Cartilage" (^«ari'<?r/)' Journal of M irroscopical 

 Science^ xvi, 1876), in which Thin's own views are laid down to the effect " that layers of 

 cells epithelial in arrangement exist in the substance of caitilage,'' " that both the stellate 

 and the parallel systems of lymph-channels exist," etc. 



