306 H. E. JORDAN 
pears, the chromosome-like masses become mingled (fig. 6), and 
ultimately the entire cell disintegrates. All the conspicuous 
signs of degeneration, as they relate to nucleus, centrosome, 
and eytoplasm are apparently the common effect of the same 
underlying cause, of which platelet formation is a mere by-prod- 
uct. The nuclear alteration may be of various sorts, as illus- 
trated in figure 11 to 15, 17 to 19, and 20 to 22. These degen- 
eration phenomena produce appearances simulating multi- 
polar spindles, both in the yolk-sae (fig. 13) and in the marrow 
(figs. 12, 14, and 15). As the cytoplasm becomes reduced in 
amount the nucleus in consequence becomes more and more 
compressed (figs. 28, 24, 18, and 19, and figs. 20 to 22), and ulti- 
mately only naked, compact nuclei remain. The latter are now 
of such reduced size as to be no longer mechanically barred from 
the initial medullary blood-vessels, and in consequence may find 
their way into the peripheral blood stream and become lodged 
in the capillaries of the lung before final dissolution. 
There is, in short, no adequate evidence indicative of genuine 
multipolar mitoses in these giant-cells; the mitotic simulacra can 
all be reasonably interpreted in terms of nuclear disintegration. 
Thus is explained one of the most puzzling phenomena relating 
to these cells. These cells would seem to be of the nature of 
atypical cell ‘giants,’ without function other than the one of 
producing blood-platelets incidentally to their disintegration. 
If a liberal interpretation of the nature of a chromosome, as 
simply a mass of chromatin without specific constitution or 
function, may seem to permit the classification of the chromatic 
bodies formed by peripheral nuclear condensations of the chro- 
matin of the giant-cells in the category of chromosomes, it 
remains true, nevertheless, that the ‘mitotic’ arrangement of 
these masses, unassociated with spindles, only represents an 
abortive attempt at division. 
The above interpretation of the significance of the alleged 
mitotic figures of the giant-cells is further supported by events 
in the giant-cells of the enamel pulp (figs. 25 to 27). The three 
cells here illustrated are from the jaw of the new-born cat. 
They represent three successive stages in the disintegrative proc- 
