CHAPTER II 



History of Mitochondrial Research 



Interest in mitochondria dates back to 1890 when Altmann 

 published his treatise on "The elementary organisms and 

 their relationship to the cell." Earher observers had rec- 

 ognized granulations in the cell, but the presence of these 

 granules was only occasionally observed and consequently 

 suggested bacterial contamination. The special methods of 

 fixation and staining developed by Flemming, Altmann, 

 and Benda made it possible to demonstrate these minute 

 bodies consistently. This ubiquity of the granules in the 

 cells of plants and animals led Altmann to formulate an 

 hypothesis concerning their nature and significance in 

 relation to the cells of all organisms. Altmann named 

 these granules "bioblasts" and beheved that they represent 

 the ultimate units of living matter, and that the cells in 

 which they are situated are otherwise lifeless passive ele- 

 ments. This revolutionary conception of the cell was 

 attacked by contemporary investigators (Verworn, and 

 others) who clearly showed that Altmann's conception was 

 erroneous. Along with the rejection of this conception of 

 the cell, the idea of the "bioblast" as the elementary or 

 primordial organism was also rejected. 



While Altmann's conception of the nature of these cell 

 granules was not accepted, his work served to stimulate an 

 active and increasing interest in these structures. The 

 constant presence of the granules in the cell pointed strongly 

 to some significant functional relationship. With a few 

 exceptions which shall be discussed later, the granules came 

 to be looked upon as originating from the cytoplasm and 

 consequently genetically a part of it. The extensive re- 



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