192 DR. BEALE, ON THE TISSUES. 



almost diffluent^ and is easily destroyed. It may be washed 

 away and removed ; while the external capsule will retain the 

 same characters which it possessed before it was disturbed. 

 The new matter is certainly not added on the external sur- 

 face ; for if this were the case the outer membrane would in- 

 crease in thickness^ while the mass within would remain of 

 the same size as when it was first seen. In some instances 

 the outer membrane increases in thickness, and the matter 

 within also increases; but sometimes the outer membrane 

 remains very thin, while the matter within is seen to undergo 

 a considerable increase. After the whole mass has reached a 

 certain size, it divides ; and the process is repeated in each 

 of the resulting structures. Very soon, perhaps, millions of 

 minute organisms are produced. When this division does not 

 take place very rapidly, the external membrane of each particle 

 is observed to increase in thickness, and generally, it may be 

 said that the slower increase occurs the thicker this becomes. 



Is the new matter added just within the outer membrane ? 

 If this were so, at one time matter like that of which the 

 membrane is composed would be formed, and at another the 

 inner soft material must be produced. It would follow, too, 

 that in some cases the material must be entirely converted 

 into the one substance, and in others it must give rise alone to 

 the development of the other. The thickening of the external 

 membrane is often produced at the expense of the germinal 

 matter within. 



Is the external hard material formed around the internal 

 substance ? This question has been already answered nega- 

 tively. From a consideration of numerous observations. Dr. 

 Beale was convinced that the new matter — the pabulum, the 

 nutrient material — which is about to become a part of the 

 living mass, passes through the external membrane, and 

 amongst the particles of which the central mass is composed. 

 He believed it passes into the interior of these particles, and, 

 having been brought into very close contact with their com- 

 ponent particles, becomes endowed with the powers they 

 possess, and is then li\dng. 



Supposed structure and movements of living particles. — 

 The doctrine which results from these observations is shortly 

 this — that the smallest living particles of all living beings 

 are spherical; and it is believed that these are com- 

 posed of spherical particles ad infinitum. The inanimate 

 matter passes into the spherical particles, and there becomes 

 endowed with their wonderful powers — in fact, becomes 

 living. The living spherules move in a direction from the 

 centre towards the circumference of each spherule to which 



