Chapter XVII 



— 201 — 



Golgi Apparatus 



M 





animal cells as the Golgi apparatus, but in exceptional cases only. 

 Therefore the opinion of Gicklhorn is not a solid basis for 

 generalization. 



It is therefore demonstrated that all the formations described 

 as Golgi apparatus in plant cells are dissimilar elements, belonging 

 either to the vacuolar system or to the chondriome (chondriosomes 

 and plastids) and that consequently there is no Golgi apparatus 

 in plants. 



Other cytoplasmic formations:- In 



the cytoplasm of many cells and espe- 

 cially in that of the Protista, granules 

 of chromatin have been reported {'o" 

 which were supposed to have orig- 

 inated as emissions from the nuclei. 

 For several years, great importance j^ 

 was attached to these granules \)i^-lL^ 

 called chromidia. In reality the chro- 

 midia, as a group, have never been 

 characterized histochemically. It has 

 been proved, on the contrary, that they 

 represent dissimilar elements which 

 can be stained with iron haematoxylin 

 and which correspond, either to chon- fig. iss. — vida Faba. osmiophiiic 

 driosomes altered by the fixatives, or piateiets in meristem ceiis of the 



. .. , root. Weigl s method of osnuc im- 



tO vacuolar precipitates. pregnatlon. (After BowEN). 



There is reason, also, to mention 

 here the formations described for the first time in animal cells 

 by the BouiN brothers, and by Garnier, then by Prenant, 

 as ergastoplasm and later found as well, in some plant 

 cells. These are in reality rather undefined formations and 

 appear as superposed lamellae, or as spiral filaments, which have 

 a strong aflfinity for nuclear stains. They have been observed in 

 glandular cells and an important role in secretory phenomena has 

 been attributed to them. All cytologists are in agreement today 

 in recognizing that ergastoplasmic formations have no separate 

 existence. They are most often simply artifacts — alteration fig- 

 ures of the chondriosomes, plastids, vacuolar colloids, or para- 

 plasmic inclusions, produced by fixatives. Perhaps they corre- 

 spond also to the differences in chemical composition of certain 

 regions of the cytoplasm. 



