THE ANATOMY OP ONCHOLAIMUS VULGARIS, BAST. 117 



eine freistromeude Leibes flussigkeifc zeigen, liabe ich, wie 

 scliOD erwiihut, nie benierkt." He suggests that v. Linstow's 

 "plasma cylindei"" is such a coagulated fluid, the " leisten " 

 the siibniedian lines. As uientioued above, however, he 

 describes the fibrillar stroma supporting the collar, but he 

 apparently has not observed that it extends beyond the limits 

 of the cellular collar — if it does so in Cylicolaimus magnus, 

 or that there are any nuclei present apart from those of the 

 collar cells. He does not attach any morphological import- 

 ance to it. 



To commence, then, I may repeat that there is no doubt 

 that the body cavity in the oesophageal region is occupied by 

 a nucleated fibrillar stroma. 



The nature of the substance tilling the rest of the body 

 cavity is debatable. 



There are three views which maybe takeo in regard to it — 



(1) That it is a pathological exudate coagulated by the 

 fixing fluid. 



(2) That it is a physiological body cavity fluid, coagulated 

 in the same way, and containing cells. 



(3) That it is a mesenchyme tissue of rather low organisation. 

 (1) This is the view taken by Jagerskiold, and his reasons 



for it have been quoted above. But in dealing with speci- 

 mens preparing for sectioning I have never, until they were 

 securely fixed, used any coarser instrument than a camel-hair 

 brush, so that I can see no reason why a pathological exudate 

 should be present. 



It is, of course, not at all necessary to suppose that C. 

 magnus and 0. vulgaris are identical in this respect; but 

 as they resemble each other very markedly in other points, it 

 would be natural to expect that they should also resemble each 

 other in this highly important morphological point. 



Jagerskiold states that the substance in question is only 

 present in certain localities, and that it is non-nucleated. I 

 have found it present in almost every region of the body and 

 continuous, and it contains nuclei proper to itself. 



(2 and 8) The substance when stained with eosin has a 



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