DR. BEALEj ON THE TISSUES. 89 



the changes which more especially distinguish living structures 

 from lifeless matter, take place in the substance I have 

 termed germinal matter and in this alone. The particles of 

 which this is composed after passing through certain definite 

 stages of existence, undergo conversion into the peculiar sub- 

 stance or substances they were destined to produce. It is 

 the germinal matter alone which is capable of forming, pro- 

 ducing, and converting. The matter external to it (cell-wall 

 intercellular substance or fluid) has been formed or produced, 

 and it may be changed, but it has no power to produce struc- 

 ture or to alter itself. 



There are many objections to the use of the term ' cell ' as 

 indicating the elementary unit of structure. The cell-wall is 

 not constant although it is absolutely necessary to the exist- 

 ence and action of the ' cell/ that is, in the sense in which this 

 word is ordinarily used. There are comparatively few instances 

 in which a true vesicle exists at all. 



Every living structure, and every elementary part that is 

 living, is composed of matter which is forming and matter 

 which is formed — germinal matter and formed material. 

 The term cell is short and convenient, and if the definition 

 usually given were modified, I think it would possess advan- 

 tages over the term ' elementary part.' We might give the 

 word a much more general signification and say that a ' cell ' 

 is composed of matter in two states which I have described 

 under the terms germinal matter and formed material. 



It appeared to me that great confusion would have resulted 

 if I had attempted to show when describing various struc- 

 tures the exact parts which according to the ordinary nomen- 

 clature corresponded to my ' germinal matter ' and ' formed 

 material,' and I have therefore purposely omitted to discuss 

 the question at all in detail. It may, however, be well to 

 state now that in some cases the germinal matter corresponds 

 to the ' nucleus,' in others to the ' nucleus and cell-contents,' 

 in others to the matter lying between the 'cell-wall,' and 

 certain of the '^ cell-contents ;' \i]i\\e iho, formed material , m. 

 some cases corresponds exactly to the ' cell-wall ' only, in 

 others to the ' cell-wall and part of the cell-contents,' in 

 others to the ' intercellular substance,^ and in other instances 

 to the fluid or viscid material which separates the several 

 ' cells, nuclei, or corpuscles,' from each other. It may be 

 remarked — 



That the ' nucleus' of the frog's blood-corpuscle is germinal 

 matter ; the external red portion (cell-wall and coloured con- 

 tents) , formed material. 



That the white blood corpuscle, the lymph and chyle cor- 



