10 THE SCOPE OF THE NEW METHOD 



examination, on the other hand, it takes one into a 

 different realm compared with the older methods. 

 Examined by the older methods, a cell appeared 

 usually as a flattened, stained diagram; by the new 

 one it appears as a sphere. The difference is com- 

 parable to that which exists between an old Japanese 

 print in which there is no perspective and a perfect photo- 

 graph seen through a stereoscope. By the older meth- 

 ods, for instance, the nucleus of a lymphocyte appears 

 as a flattened, homogeneously stained mass, or perhaps 

 the stained chromatin resembles a "spireme" within 

 the nucleus; by the new method it is seen at a glance 

 that the nucleus in the living cell is a round, trans- 

 parent ball, studded on its outside by minute chromatin 

 granules. There is no doubt that the observation of 

 the living cell is a new study. In almost every slide 

 one sees something of interest which has not been 

 seen before. Living cells seem to have small points 

 of individuality which can only be seen when they are 

 stained alive. 



Take for example the phenomena of cell-division. 

 The rnitotic divisions, although the same in general 

 principles (unless of course we take steps to induce 

 asymmetrical divisions by an alkaloid) are almost 

 always slightly different, depending to some extent 

 upon the stage of division reached, and upon the 

 attitude in which the cell happens to be presented to 

 the observer. 



By this means of cytological study we may frankly 

 say that we cannot tell what revelations may turn up 

 at any time. This book will record a few of them, but 



