DR. BEALE, ON THE TISSUES. 239 



living organisms may exist without it. Again^ in the 

 younger^ so-called cells, of the cuticle, contents and a cell- 

 wall are figured and described by authors generally ; but in 

 the old cells the contents become altered and incorporated 

 with the wall in a manner which has not been explained. 

 The liver-cell is usually appealed to as an excellent example 

 of a cell ; yet who has proved the existence of a membrane ? 

 Seven years ago, long before the lecturer had attempted to 

 form any general views of structure, he tried to prove the 

 existence of this cell-wall, but utterly failed, and was obliged 

 to mention this in his work on the liver."^ 



The appearance of elementary parts (cells) from the liver 

 of the mouse was then described. Many were seen to contain 

 two of the so-called nuclei, and some contain three or four. 

 Nuclei are observed of all sizes, and the amount of formed 

 material is very different in the different masses. In some 

 elementary parts the outline is sharp and well defined ; in 

 others, it is rough and angular ; and in some, the outer part 

 seems to be undergoing disintegration. No cell-wall is to be 

 demonstrated around these masses. The outermost part of 

 the formed material gradually becomes disintegrated and re- 

 solved into soluble substances. The largest of the so-called 

 nuclei are, in fact, becoming elementary parts ; and what 

 would be called their nucleoli would then become nuclei. 

 Some of the masses are very irregular in shape, angular, and 

 often much elongated, as if they consisted of soft material 

 which had been moulded in a tube. 



In the next specimen elementary parts from the liver of 

 an old man, aged 74, were seen. The liver appeared 

 healthy. The elementary parts are, for the most part, small; 

 and there is not that very distinct line of demarcation be- 

 tween the germinal matter and the formed material which 

 was seen in the last specimen, and which is in part due to 

 the method of preparation. Oil-globules and particles of 

 colouring matter have been precipitated amongst the formed 

 material. 



In a specimen containing elementary parts from a cirrhose 

 liver the quantity of formed material was much greater than 

 in the last specimen ; depending probably on the difficulty to 

 the free escape of the bile caused by the wasted, contracted 

 state of the tubes of the network at the outer part of the 

 lobule. 



But, it will be stated, there can be no doubt as to the cel- 

 lular nature of the red blood-corpuscle. This is admitted by all 



* 'Ou the Anatomy of the Liver of Man and Vertebrate Animals,' 1S56. 



