Spiral Structure of Mtiscle. 95 



mitive trace/' and Von Baer's " chorda dorsalis." For other 

 details, the author refers to his researches published in the Phi- 

 losophical Transactions for 1839 and 1840; not deemmg it 

 suitable to the purpose of the present paper to add more, than that 

 the process through which the first and continually repeated self- 

 division of the hyaline is effected, is no other than a repetition 

 of the same process which operates in the germinal spot of the 

 germinal vesicle, as the original cell of the organism ; in which 

 process the operation of certain functions required for an increase 

 of substance is implied, viz. absorption, assimilation, and secre- 

 tion. In the cells thus descending from the original mother- 

 cell down to the remotest generation, it is evident that the same 

 wondi'ous process is repeated, the same increase of the hyaline ; 

 which at first takes a peripheral station in the cell in order 

 through absorption to be newly fecundated (for what in this 

 case is absorption, but the fecundation of the hyaline of the cell 

 through a relatively external substance maintaining the process of 

 division ?) Then, after fecundation at the periphery, the hyaline 

 passes into the middle of the cell, there again to divide into new 

 generations of cells, which finally arrange themselves so as to 

 form the various tissues of the organism. But the germinal 

 spot process continues even here. (Compai'e the contents of the 

 cell in fig. 19 a, with the author's delineations of the contents of 

 the germinal vesicle, Phil. Trans. 1840, Plate 22. figs. 159, 

 160, 162 c.) 



Every one who has noticed the author'sdravringsof a certain state 

 of the two cells succeeding the germinal vesicle, must have been 

 struck with the resemblance they bear to corpuscles of the blood. 

 He deems it important in this place to refer to observations he 

 long since published, that both have the same destination ; 

 through both these structures, as well the blood-corpuscles as 

 the cells of the ovum, is it intended to reproduce the hyaline, — 

 the one being floating, and the other fixed centres of that pro- 

 cess of assimilation which effects the reproduction of thehyahiie. 

 The germinal vesicle may be regarded as a living being; and 

 every blood-corpuscle as one of the progeny of the germinal 

 vesicle, reproducing itself, as that vesicle itself does, by division 

 of its fecundated hyaline. We may consider the blood-corpuscles 

 as a floating shoal of Infusoria, receiving as their nourishment 

 the chyle. So nourished, or rather (as regards their hyaline 

 centres) so fecundated, the blood-corpuscles repeat in their in- 

 terior the whole germinal spot process, since in souie of them 

 there ])roceeds the self-division and repeated self-division of the 

 hyaline, whereby new generations of blood-corpuscles arise, which 

 again repeat the same process; while others deposit \ipon the 

 walls of the capillaries their hyaline, which operates with fecuu- 



