THE CELL 67 



some information about them. Public attention has been 

 drawn to them chiefly on account of the part they play in 

 many infectious diseases, in which connection they are 

 often referred to as 'microbes' or 'germs'." 



I have now given a general description of the different 

 classes of cells known as plant cells, animal cells, single 

 cells and bacteria. However, all scientists agree that 

 they are all of the same family ; that they are all alike as 

 far as inner structure of life is concerned ; that they differ 

 only in size, outside covering and appearance. They use 

 different methods of obtaining their food and perpetuat- 

 ing their existence. 



I wish to have this part perfectly clear to the reader, 

 that all living things are either cells living singly and 

 alone as separate individuals which we call single cells, 

 like bacteria and others, or else a colony of cells number- 

 ing up into the billions, like plants, animals or trees, 

 where the cells all work together for the benefit of all. 

 As long as the tree or animal lives, they all live, but if 

 the tree or animal dies, it is the cells in the tree or animal 

 that die. By reason of the higher power microscope now 

 made, it has been shown that the cell is made up of still 

 smaller cells. These smaller units of life, which I would 

 call primordial cells, have been described by various 

 authors under a number of different names. The follow- 

 ing are some of the names given to these hypothetical 

 units of which the cell is supposed to be composed : Gem- 

 mules, pangens, plasomes, micellae, Plastidules, Bio- 

 phores, bioplasts, somacules, idioplasms, idiosomes, bio- 

 gens, microsomes, gemmae. This is only a partial list of 

 the names and they all mean the same. Each name rep- 

 resents a different author and generally a different theory. 

 While these theories are interesting, they are as yet only 



