426 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. [VoL. VI. 
From Teleostei: cells of cord of Amzurus catus. 
In all cases this substance in the cell body, although distributed dif- 
ferently, stained with toluidin blue and gave the reactions for iron and 
phosphorus. In all cases tried the substance was found to be insoluble 
in pepsin and hydrochloric acid but to be easily altered by dilute 
alkalies. 
The widespread occurrence of this substance in such diverse forms has 
been taken by some (Rohde,” Marinesco™) to indicate that this material 
is an essential constituent of all nerve cells. This, however, is not the 
case, for in 1895 Biihler”® described the cells of the forebrain of Lacerta 
agilis as frequently devoid of Nissl granules,and I find that the vast bulk 
of the nerve cells of the Urodela are absolutely devoid of them. It will 
therefore be necessary to enter into a detailed account of the nerve cells 
of these forms. 
Several specimens of Mecturus, Amblystoma, Plethodon and Diemyctylus 
were obtained and the cord, brain and ganglia fixed in different fluids. 
A series of a Salamandra \arva was also examined” and series of larval 
Amblystomata of various ages were made. The nerve cells of all 
these different forms were found to correspond in their structure and 
characters. 
In the nerve cells of these animals the cytoplasm, instead of holding 
granules which contain iron and phosphorus and which stain with basic 
dyes, is often free from iron, phosphorus or substance staining with 
toluidin blue, and on the other hand, their nuclei, instead of containing 
very little basophile substance, abound in granules of such basophile 
material. This is true of ganglion, retinal and central nerve cells. 
If one fixes in Flemming’s fluid and stains with his orange method 
there is no gentian-stained substance in the cell body while the nucleus 
is filled with granules and threads which stain deeply with the gentian. 
If instead of the orange method one uses safranin and light green, 
according to Benda’s process, one finds all the substance staining with 
safranin confined to the nucleus. 
In material that has been fixed in alcohol or in sublimate, and stained 
77 Rohde, l.c. 
78 Marinesco, G. ‘‘ Recherches sur la biologie de la cellule nerveuse,’ Arch. f. Anat. und Phys., 
Phys. Abth., 1899, p. 89. 
79 Biihler, Anton, ‘* Protoplasma-Structur in Vorderhirnzellen der Eidechse,” Verh. d. phys. med. 
. Ges., Wiirzburg, Stahel, 1895. ‘ 
80 For this privilege I am indebted to Dr. J. Stafford. 
