1)H. BEALE, ON THE TISSUES. 195 



The action of carmine on germinal matter and formed 

 material. — Alkaline colouring matters have no effect on the 

 formed material, but colour the germinal matter very strongly. 

 In some very interesting specimens, coloured by immersion 

 in an ammoniacal solution of carmine, obtained from certain 

 fibrous textures, there is no distinct line of demarcation be- 

 tween the germinal matter and the formed material. Most 

 externally is the formed material quite colourless; then 

 comes a layer of very young and imperfectly hardened formed 

 material, which is slightly tinted ; next, germinal matter, 

 darkly coloured, and amongst this nuclei most intensely 

 coloured. The structure which is most intensely coloured is 

 farthest from, and that which is not coloured at all in imme- 

 diate contact with, the colouring matter. The carmine can 

 be made artificially to pass through the layers of formed 

 material, unaltered by them, to the germinal matter, where 

 it becomes precipitated, probably in consequence of the acid 

 reaction of the germinal matter. 



Note. — It is desirable to'state here, that it was not possible to insert in the 

 text the terms in ordinary use, equivalent to germinal matter and Jhrmed 

 material ; because iu 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 ;" while the 

 formed material, in 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 viscid material which 

 separates the several "cells, nuclei or corpuscles," from each other. In the 

 abstracts of the succeeding lectures these points will be fully considered, 

 and illustrated with examples ; but it may, perhaps, be well to remark at 

 once — 



That the "nucleus" of the frog's blood-corpuscle is geimiml matter i the 

 external red portion (cell-wall and coloured cowieni?,), formed material. 



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

 pus and mucus corpuscle, are composed entirely of germinal matter, with a 

 very thin layer of formed material ; the viscid matter between the mucus- 

 corpuscles is_/or««e(5? material. 



That the "nucleus " of an epithelial cell of mucous membrane, or of the 

 cuticle is germinal matter ; the "cell-wall and cell-coiitents"/orwi?fi? material. 



That the ' cell-wall " of a fat-cell or of a starch-holding-cell is formed 

 material; the "nucleus" of the former, and the "primordial utricle" of 

 the latter, are germinal matter ; while the fat and the starch are secondary 

 deposits, produced by changes occurring in particles of germinal matter in 

 the central part of the mass. 



That the germinal matter is always coloured red by carmine, while the 

 formed material and secondary deposits are not ; and thus the difl'erence 

 between matter iu these different states can always be positively demon- 

 strated. 



