QUARTERLY CHRONICLE. 147 
proved with almost conclusive evidence,—a viscid material 
which is capable of forming globules of a definite size, and 
which in the living organism actually forms such globules— 
shapes, the nature of which has been hitherto mistaken. 
After a long search, the substance known under the name of 
myeline was found to be the desired material. When to 
myeline in its dry amorphous state water is added, slender 
tubes are seen to shoot forth from all free margins. These 
are sometimes wonderfully like nerve-tubes in appearance. 
They are most flexible and plastic. From this curious ten- 
dency of shooting forth in a rectilinear direction, it was 
inferred that a crystallizing force must be at work. To 
counteract this tendency, and to oblige the substance to 
crystallize into globules, it was intimately mixed with white 
of egg. The result was most perfect. Instead of tubes, 
splendid clear globules, layer after layer, were formed, re- 
sembling closely those of the crystallme lens formed under 
similar conditions. Here was actually found a viscid sub- 
stance which, on imbibition, formed globules of a definite 
size. The remaining task was comparatively an easy one. 
By mixing the myeline with blood-serum, globules were 
obtained showing the most lively molecular motion. When 
the serum somewhat preponderated, the whole of the globules 
seemed, after a while, to undergo coagulation, and appeared 
often as beautifully and finely granulated as any real “ cell.” 
When this mixture of myeline and serum was spread very 
thinly over the glass slide, there often started into existence, 
on the addition of water, small primary globules, round each 
of which an irregular mass of granular material became 
gradually detached from the glass slide. It at last shaped 
itself into a secondary globule, enclosing the primary one, 
and constituting with it, down to the minutest details, the 
most perfect typical “ cell.’”’ In many instances the nucleolus 
did not fail; and the narrow white margin, so often mistaken 
for a cell-wall, was always present. Beautiful “mother cells” 
were formed in the same manner. The next endeavour was 
to form “cells” according to the second mode. If the amor- 
phous myeline be very thinly spread on the glass slide, 
instead of tubes there will form bodies looking like rings. 
They are actually double globules, the inner globule being 
more transparent than the outer. They correspond to the 
inner and outer substance of the above-mentioned tubes. 
When these are left to dry, and then again acted upon with 
water, one portion will swell out into a clear globule, enclos- . 
ing the rest as “nucleus.” These “nuclei” are either large 
and single, like those of granulation-corpuscles, or they are 
