STUDIES ON THE PANCREAS OF THE GUINEA PIG 



361 



This observation of Altmann's shared in the general undeserved 

 discredit which befell all of his work as a result of the attacks 

 made on his methods by Fischer and others, and as a result of 

 the prejudice aroused by the bold conclusions which he drew con- 

 cerning the general nature of protoplasm. For these reasons 

 Altmann's observations have for the most part been passed over 

 in silence, or erroneously interpreted where they have been noticed 

 at all. The new work on mitochondria is, however, daily making 

 it more and more apparent that Altmann's works are full of val- 



Fig. 11 Section of a pancreatic acinus of tlie guinea pig showing mitochon- 

 drial filaments imbedded in homogeneous basal substance. Acetic osmic bichro- 

 mate, acid fuchsin, methyl green. X 1555. 



uable objective descriptions which can be verified perfectly in the 

 living cell. Among those who have seen the filaments in question 

 I find Laguesse ('06-'08), Michaelis ('00), and Babkin, Rubasch- 

 kin and Ssawitsch ('09). The fuchsinophile granules described 

 by Theohari in the cells of the gastric glands, and by Launoy in the 

 pancreatic cell probably represent imperfectly preserved Altmann 

 filaments. 



Michaelis discovered these filaments in the pancreatic cell and 

 the cells of other glands by means of vital staining with janus 



