I 



STRUCTURE OF COLORED BLOOD-CORPUSCLES. 93 



He adds that the net-work gives the coipuscle its shape, and fixates the 

 nucleus in the center. Death of the corpuscle produces first coagulation, 

 afterward liquefaction of the fibers of the net-work. Whenever the fibers are 

 coagulated they are shortened, and produce indentations at the surface by 

 drawing upon the points where they are attached ; when the shortening pro- 

 ceeds too far, the fibers are torn off from the membrane, and in both cases of 

 shortening there are places at the surface which look protruded. Liquefac- 

 tion of the fibers is assumed when the corpuscle has a vesicular appearance, 

 when it seems to contain a semi-fluid mass in which the nucleus may take any 

 position, and from which it sometimes exudes, proving in exuding the exist- 

 ence of a membrane as already described.* 



Schmidt seems to have seen something like an arrangement of filaments, 

 but, if so, has misinterpreted it entirely. He has reported observing in blood 

 of amphiuma treated first with water under the microscope, and then with a 

 very weak solution of chromic acid (strength not ascertained), "a series of 

 fine lines, radiating from the periphery of the nucleus through the protoplasm 

 to the inner surface of the membraneous layer of the blood-corpuscle." He 

 remarks : " Now this picture would almost seem to corroborate the theory of 

 Hensen, as well as that of Kollmann ; the fine double lines representing the 

 filaments, which they suppose to radiate from the nucleus to the enveloping 

 membrane. But this is not the case ; for a closer examination reveals that 

 these lines represent nothing but fissures in the protoplasm, which appears to 

 have assumed some form of crystallization. This becomes more evident by 

 observing some of these fissures deviating from their course, and giving rise 

 to subordinate branches." t He has also reported a somewhat analogous 

 appearance in the colored blood-corpuscles of the frog, both fresh and treated 

 with the same re-agents. This he explained by contraction of the interior 

 mass. He says : " The protoplasm in such a case retracts upon the nucleus, 

 which it completely surrounds, while the membraneous layer appears isolated, 

 manifesting itself by a double contour. And again, if the same process should 

 take place without entirely separating the protoplasm from the membraneous 

 layer, but leaving at certain small points a union between the two parts, the 

 result must be the production of a number of filamentary processes, arising 

 from the main bulk of the protoplasm, and passing to those points of the 

 membraneous layer." J 



Kneuttinger considered the two surfaces of the biconcave disk of blood- 

 corpuscles to be connected at the place of the depression by protoplasma 

 threads ; if these tear, the biscuit form changes to a sphere. 



According to Krause, the red blood-corpuscle consists of : 1. A colorless 

 stroma formed by a solid albuminous matter arranged into radial fibers, and 

 2. Haemoglobin, which is a colored fluid albuminous matter lying in the 

 interspaces of these fibers. || 



Lieberkiihn has found that the free nuclei of red blood-corpuscles of 

 salamandra and tritons (the blood having been kept for some time in 

 colored glass tubes) consists of two substances, of which one forms the 



* Op. cit., p. 95. 



t Op. cit., p. 72. 



t Ibid., p. 106. 



$ " Zur Histologie des Blutes." Wiirzburg, 1865, p. 22. 



II " Allgemeine und Mikroskopische Anatomic," p. 325-334. 



