CHAPTER III 



The Bacterial Nature of Mitochondria 



Although a great number of investigators have attributed 

 diverse properties to mitochondria, the specific conception 

 that mitochondria may be Hving bodies does not appear to 

 have been seriously considered. On the contrary, this con- 

 ception in Altmann's work was not accepted and again it 

 was rejected in Portier's "Symbiotes." The outstanding 

 morphologic characteristic of mitochondria is their resem- 

 blance to bacteria. While morphologic resemblance, con- 

 sidered by itseK, does not necessarily imply relationship, 

 it does, at least, suggest that possibiUty. The possible 

 relationship between mitochondria and bacteria is further 

 suggested by some of the properties exhibited by mitochon- 

 dria, particularly their evident mode of multiplication by 

 simple fission. So, also, the secretion activities that have 

 been attributed to mitochondria by so many authors are 

 indeed suggestive of the properties of living bodies. 



When the literature up to the year 1918 was carefully 

 examined, it became apparent that the characteristics at- 

 tributed to mitochondria which differentiated them from 

 bacteria were assumed rather than proved. The literature 

 did not contain any reference to experiments that were 

 intended to demonstrate specific differences in the two 

 groups of bodies. It is evident that the necessity for experi- 

 mental and specific determination of the relationship be- 

 tween these two groups of structures is essential before we 

 can proceed intelUgently to develop a logical conception of 

 the nature of mitochondria. 



In the early part of 1919, 1 began a series of investigations 

 on the nature of mitochondria. These investigations were 



25 



