DR. BEALE, ON CONTRACTILITY. 185 
at all resembles these? Observers have ascribed them to a 
different density in different parts, but who has ever been 
able to produce such movements by preparing fluids of dif- 
ferent density; but further, these fluids of different density 
must make themselves and retain themselves of different 
density. We may certainly imitate, to some extent, the 
process of contraction of muscular tissue; but apart from 
living things nothing has ever been obtained which exhibits 
phenomena resembling those which are so familiar to us in 
the movements of a common Ameeba. 
Next as to the matter which is the seat of these two classes 
of movements. I have endeavoured to prove that every 
elementary part consists of matter which is living, and matter 
which is formed, of germinal matter and formed material. 
Now the contractile tissue of muscle is formed material. It 
is homologous with the so-called intercellular substance of 
tendon, cartilage, the cornea, and other connective tissues, with 
the outer part of the epithelial cell, with the “ cell-wall”’ of the 
vegetable cell, &c. The “nucleus” of the muscle bears the 
same relation to the contractile tissue as the “ nucleus”’ of the 
white fibrous tissues bears to that substance,—that of an epi- 
thelial cell to its outer part, the primordial utricle to the cell- 
wall of the vegetable cell, and the so-called mucus-corpuscle 
to the mucus in which it lies, the “ pus-corpuscle” to the 
‘liquor puris,’” &c. It is germinal matter. 
Now, every kind of formed material was once in the state 
of germinal matter. Formed material in no case produces 
formed material, nor is formed material simply deposited 
from the nutrient fluids as crystalline matter is deposited from 
its solution; but formed material results from changes occur- 
ring in germinal matter. Muscular tissue which contracts is 
continuous with the nuclei or masses of germinal matter 
of muscle, and was produced from germinal matter. This 
germinal matter produces contractile tissue just as the ger- 
minal matter of tendon produces tendon, that of cartilage, 
cartilage, and so on. Hence the mucus-corpuscle, white 
blood-corpuscle, Amczba, &c., correspond to the so-called 
“nucleus ” of a muscle only, not to its formed material; and 
any changes occurring in the latter must needs be essentially 
different from those taking place in the former. It is clear 
that muscle, which is formed material, must be formed before 
it can contract; but movements occur in germinal matter 
from the very moment of its first production. The movements 
of the matter in the first or germinal state are distmet from 
the movements which are incidental to its second or formed 
state. But let it not be supposed that these are the only 
VOL. IV.— NEW SER. © 
