Scientific Sophisms. 145 



doctrine, it will be found not unimportant to 

 notice some particulars which characterise Mr. 

 Huxley's own position in relation to it. Fore- 

 most among these is the nomenclature which 

 Mr. Huxley has chosen to employ. 



The protoplasmic pellicle, "the formative 

 protoplasmic layer " in vegetable cells, was re- 

 garded by Von Mohl as a structure of special 

 importance, distinct from the cell-contents, and 

 was named by him, in 1844, "the primordial 

 utricle." This primordial utricle has since been 

 called protoplasm by Professor Huxley, although 

 some years previously he had restricted the term 

 protoplasm to the matter within the primordial 

 utricle, which matter he at that time regarded 

 as nothing more than an " accidental anatomical 

 modification " of the endoplast, and of little 

 importance. 1 " The nucleus, and~ with it the 

 protoplasm, Mr. Huxley thought, exerted no 

 peculiar office, and possessed no metabolic power. 

 But Mr. Huxley has changed his views without 

 one word of explanation concerning the facts 

 which led him to modify them, or even an ac- 

 knowledgment that he had changed them. Mr. 

 Huxley now considers ' protoplasm ' of the first 

 importance. . . . His ' endoplast ' and 'peri- 



1 " The Cell Theory :" Medical Chirurgical Review, 

 October, 1853. 



