DR. BEALE, ON THE TISSUES. 253 



minal matter is the same as in other structures. Dr. Beale 

 has seen white blood-corpuscles entangled in the coagulated, 

 transparent matter of the casts of the uriniferous tube, 

 undergoing multiplication, and in the same case, between the 

 capillary loops and the membranous capsule of the Malpi- 

 ghian body, some long, soft fibres, with a body in the centre 

 exactly resembling a white blood-corpuscle, were observed. 

 White blood-corpuscles had accumulated considerably in 

 the capillaries in every part of the kidney in this case. 



So that germinal matter may multiply very fast, and produce 

 less formed material than in the normal state, or germinal mat- 

 ter, which in the normal condition produces very little formed 

 material, may he placed under circumstances which favour the 

 accumulation of a considerable quantity of formed material 

 around it. It is, therefore, very essential to study the con- 

 ditions which effect these very striking modifications in the 

 germinal matter of different structures. 



Alteration in the relative proportions of germinal matter and 

 formed material in elementary parts as they increase in age. — 

 Preparations showing the relation existing between the germi- 

 nal matter and formed material of the tendon of a kitten, and 

 in the true skin from a foetus, at the seventh month, were then 

 passed round. 



Tlie first is a structure in which the changes are exceed- 

 ingly slow; the second is one in which we know changes are 

 occurring constantly, and with comparative rapidity through- 

 out life. It will probably be admitted that the germinal mat- 

 ter, in the one preparation, corresponds to that in the other 

 — fibrous tissue being the result of the growth of the germi- 

 nal matter of the tendon — nerves, capillaries, fibrous, elastic, 

 and adipose tissues being formed from the particles of the 

 germinal matter in the last specimen. The relation of the 

 germinal matter to the formed material, in quick and slow- 

 growing tissues, is well seen in the fcetus from the sixth to the 

 ninth month. 



On examining the bulbs of two or three hairs from the 

 foot of a kitten, it was observed that the bulb was much 

 wider than the shaft of the hair. The elementry parts, 

 in this region, are composed almost entirely of germinal 

 matter. Higher up, the formed material increases, and each 

 elementary part undergoes condensation. Much of the water 

 of the elementary parts is absorbed, and the whole, conse- 

 quently, contracts and becomes firmer. The manner in which 

 the formed material is produced is seen very beautifully by 

 examining the elementary parts at different heights in a 

 specimen of hair prepared with carmine. According to the 



