264 TRANSACTIONS OF THIC CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. I. 



further on, traced their history, which is totally unlike that of the 

 structures in question. Given, then, that they are derived neither from 

 the cell protoplasm nor from the nucleus, the only remaining conclu- 

 sion possible is that they come from without — in other words, they are 

 parasitic. 



4. The parasitic nature of these bodies is best shown by their form in 

 the two young Amblystoniata referred to above. Fig. 10 a, b, c, e,f(fib), 

 represent the commoner types of these and a resemblance to a " wurm- 

 chen " type is readily seen in these. 



5. The fibrillation and gradual disappearance of these bodies occur 

 without any participation whatever in the processes of cell activity and 

 secretion. There can be no doubt about the correctness of this, and 

 moreover, Platner's description practically admits it, although he thinks 

 that the desintegration of these bodies furnishes material for an increase 

 in the amount of the cell protoplasm and, possibly, of its zymogen. It 

 is not to be denied that the desintegration and possible assimilation of 

 these bodies increase the cell protoplasm and may, therefore, very 

 indirectly assist in the formation of zymogen. 



The statements made by Steinhaus that these structures are not derived 

 from the cell or nucleus, that they have no functional relation to secretion, 

 nor have anything to do with cell renewal, I can, therefore, fully con- 

 firm. His observation that they are inconstant even in the same species, 

 agrees with mine as to the young Amblystoniata. His figures, however, 

 of these bodies resemble but few of mine, and show the " wurmchen " 

 form to be more common than I have been permitted to see in my pre- 

 parations. If Platner's statement is correct, that the fibrillar remains of 

 these bodies can be observed in the pancreas of the salamander, it is evi- 

 dent that Steinhaus has overlooked the full history of the structures. 

 Steinhaus is also in error in concluding that the parasites alone are the 

 nebenkerne of Ogata or Platner, for bodies have evidently been included 

 in this class by the two observers, which are not parasitic at all. 



What are these parasites } Steinhaus believes that they are similar to, 

 not to say identical with, those described under the names Haematozoa 

 and Cytozoa. There are several facts which speak for the correctness of 

 this view. The forms of some of them correspond with that found in the 

 blood cells of the frog, the " wurmchen " of Gaule and known as Drepan- 

 idiuni ranartim of Lankester. The latter is also to be found in the blood of 

 Diemyctyhis. Kruse* states, however, that it is not present in the blood 

 of the tadpole and this fact is to be taken in connection with the absence, 



* Virchow's Arch., Bd. 120, p. 553. 



