DR. BEALE, ON THE TISSUES. 251 



nical injury, or by softening of the formed material,, caused 

 by an alteration occurring in the composition of the fluid 

 which bathes it, or induced artificially by various chemical 

 compounds. When germinal matter comes into contact with 

 nutrient material under favorable circumstanceSj its power 

 of infinite multiplication becomes apparent. Inanimate mat- 

 ter near it is absorbed by the several particles, and their 

 active powers are communicated to it. If the nutrient mat- 

 ter be very abundant, the particles will consist almost entirely 

 of germinal matter ; but if not very abundant, time will be 

 allowed for the formation of a certain amount of formed ma- 

 terial. The germinal matter of any tissue in the body is 

 capable of growing in this way. Every particle of germinal 

 matter possesses the power of infinite growth. Whether 

 a texture with a smaller quantity of formed material than 

 in the normal tissue, and hence a soft, spongy tissue, or 

 a substance composed almost entirely of small, spherical 

 masses of germinal matter (pus-corpuscles) is to be produced, 

 will depend mainly upon the quantity and character of the 

 nutrient matter. If we look at suppuration in this light, 

 the cause of the different characters of pus becomes evident. 

 The germinal matter of any tissue in the body may grow in- 

 finitely. In the normal state it multiplies under certain 

 restrictions, and as it grows, the formation of formed material 

 gradually proceeds, and the germinal matter becomes sepa- 

 rated further and further from the nutrient fluid. The formed 

 material is prevented from undergoing any but slow change, 

 and the removal of the small quantity of products resulting 

 from this change is sufficiently provided for. But if the ger- 

 minal matter be set free, active changes immediately com- 

 mence, the inanimate nutrient matter around is soon taken 

 up and becomes living, and the process will continue as long 

 as the above conditions last. And if this were not the case, 

 what would happen ? Why, clearly, the fluids set free, pre- 

 vented from undergoing the incessant change which is pro- 

 vided for in the normal state, would rapidly putrefy, and the 

 products resulting from the putrefactive changes would soon 

 cause the death of the tissues immediately surrounding. The 

 jDrocess would go on, and a considerable quantity of tissue 

 would be destroyed, and the death of the whole organism 

 would result. In gangrene the germinal matter is killed ; 

 in suppuration it grows freely, and if this process did not 

 occur, there are cases in which the death of the tissues must 

 result. 



At the high temperature of the higher vertebrate animals, 

 moist organic matter, in which the fluid is not perpetually 



