DISCOVERY OF PROTOPLASM 61 



cupations of farmer and small shopkeeper. The son who received the 

 academic training of his day was of an active restless temperament. 

 Virchow's was a mind open to new ideas, of liberal and independent 

 views on medicine, politics and religion. Hi_s._open sympathies with 

 the reform tendencies in 1848 were such that he was bbliged^to leave 

 , Berlin 'for Wurzburg, where he taught pathology and did much orig- 

 Cinal work therein. He was recalled to Berlin in 1856, when he was 

 made professor of pathology in the university. The scope of his ac- 

 tivities may be seen when it is considered that he was also a member 

 of the Reichstag, where he became leader of the opposition and a 

 vigorous antagonist of Bismark. As chairman of the finance com- 

 mittee, Virchow is credited as the author of the Prussian Budget 

 system. He took a leading part in the politics of his city; and the 

 fact that from being one of the most unsanitary cities Berlin has 

 come to be one of the most healthful spots has been attributed in 

 great measure to his insistance on sanitary reform. Virchow stands 

 in much the same relation to pathology as Schwann to histology. He 

 has been called the "Father of Modern Pathology." He established^ 

 "The true and fertile doctrine that every morbid structure consists of 

 cells which have been derived from pre-existing cells," or as he him- 

 self expressed it: "Omnis cellula e cellula." His chief work was his \ 

 cellular pathology published in 1858; in it he applied the cell theory J 

 to diseased tissues. He died in 1903. 



The cell theory incomplete as first announced: When William 

 Harvey published his discovery of the circulation, so complete was 

 his self-appointed task that little was left for future workers. The 

 glycogenic function of the liver is known and understood by us 

 practically as proclaimed by Claude Bernard. The cell doctrine has a 

 vastly different history. As announced by it's co-founders, it was 

 far from being complete. Among other inaccuracies they attached 

 too much importance to the cell wall. The word "cell" implies a wall- 

 ed enclosure. The cell of honeycomb or the cell of a penal institution 

 are examples which suggest themselves. The fundamental declara- 

 tion that all parts of plants and animals are built of similar units or 

 structures has been substantiated. This is'perhaps the only portion 

 of the theory that has not been profoundly changed. 



The Discovery of Protoplasm: Perhaps of equal importance to 

 the cell-theory was the recognition of protoplasm. Huxley called it 

 "the physical basic of life." FeHx Dujardin recognized this sub- 

 stance, which is the basis of vital activity, in 1835. He discovered in 

 lower animal forms a jelly-like substance which he called "sarcode." 

 Dujardin was born in 1801 at Tours, France. He was trained to fol- 

 low the trade of his father, namely, that of watchmaker, and the 

 manual dexterity thus acquired served him in good stead in the later 

 vocation of his life. He was an adept with the microscope and pos- 

 sessed no small ability as sketch artist. He showed early a love for 

 the natural sciences. His contributions to science cover a range of 

 topics. He was perhaps the greatest authority of his day on proto- 

 zoology. He died in 1860. 



Schleiden saw protoplasm but called it gum. Cohn, in 1850, 

 taught that "protoplasm" of plants and "sarcode" of lower animal 

 life were the same thing. Max Schultze, in 1861, confirmed Cohn's 



