THE ANIMAL CELL. 43 



in the protoplasm appear to be phosphorized, a condition which i& 

 of importance as showing the genetic connection between the cell 

 nucleus rich in phosphorus and the protoplasm. 



The extent to which the proteids occur in the young generative 

 cells has not been sufficiently investigated; nevertheless these 

 substances occur habitually and in significant amounts in certain 

 epithelium and glandular cells. Difficultly soluble protein sub- 

 stances are also found' in dead cells or in organs rich in cells which 

 act like coagulated albuminous bodies when treated with the 

 ordinary reagents. 



In cases in which the protoplasm is surrounded by an outer, con- 

 densed layer or a cell membrane, this envelope seems to consist of 

 albumoid substances. In a few cases and these, according to 

 BONDERS, answer for the primary animal cell membrane these 

 substances seem to be closely related to elastin; in other cases, on 

 the contrary, they seem rather to belong to the keratin group. 

 The chemical processes by which these albumoid substances are 

 formed from the albuminous bodies or proteids of the protoplasm 

 are unknown. 



The occurrence of phosphorized organic combinations in all 

 protoplasm is without doubt of the greatest importance for the 

 functional task, as also for the development of the cell. Of the 

 phosphorized combinations in the cell there are at least two chief 

 groups. To one belongs lecithin, and to the other nuclein, the 

 latter occurring partly in the nucleoalbumin, and forming a part of 

 the chief constituents of the cell nucleus. 



Lecithin. This body is, according to the investigations of 

 STRECKER, HUNDESHAGEN, and GILSON, an ether-like combination 

 of glycerophosphoric acid substituted by fatty acid radicals, with 

 a base, cholin. Therefore there may be different lecithins accord- 

 ing to the fatty acid contained in the lecithin molecule. One of 

 these distearyllecitliin has been closely studied by HOPPE- 

 SEYLER and DIACONOW : 



C,,H, NPO, = HO.(CH,) 8 N.C a H..O(OH)PO.O.C,H,: (O..H..OJ.. 



In agreement with this, if lecithin be boiled with baryta-water 

 it yields fatty acids, glycerophosphoric acid, and cholin. It is only 

 slowly decomposed by dilute acids. Besides small quantities of 



