122 FORMATION OF SHELLS OF ANIMALS, ETC., 
granule or granules in all kinds of corpuscles, their 
presence being always considered as a sure indication of 
the vital formative capabilities of all corpuscles possessing 
them; and hence, as might have been expected, they have 
been diligently sought for in the lacune of bone. Professor 
Kolliker observes upon this subject, that ‘the contents 
of the lacunz, according to the later imvestigations of 
Donders, Virchow, and myself, appear very closely to 
resemble those of the cells of cartilages DURING LIFE; 
that is to say, they are a clear, probably viscid fluid, with 
a nucleus. If bone-cartilage be boiled in water or caustic 
soda for one or two minutes, these nuclei often show 
themselves very distinctly ; or opaque corpuscles make 
their appearance, which must be regarded as the con- 
tracted cell-contents, including the nucleus, and analogous 
to the corpuscles in cartilage.” See English translation, 
page 306. In this quotation, it is observed “that the 
contents of lacunze resemble those of cartilage-cells during 
life.’ Does this mean that the contents of both kinds of 
cells are living when compared, or that only those of the 
cartilage cells are? If the former is intended, the determi- 
nation of this poimt appears to my common sense to be 
entirely beyond the reach of experiment or accurate 
observation. If the latter be intended, as I suppose from 
the sequel, then the incongruity is greater than that just 
complained of. There the observations referred only to 
parts sound and unsound, here the comparison is between 
living and dead ones. However, as it is a translation 
that I am quoting from, where it is possible that the 
meaning of the original may not_be exactly rendered, so 
that this perhaps is not the precise meaning of the author. 
Now I may observe, with respect to the existence of any 
particular granule or nucleus in these lacunz, that I have 
cs - 1 aah eg at a ESE a 
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