140 TISSUES IN GENEEAL. 



other. Indeed, upon this knowledge rests, to-day, the whole 

 doctrine of tuberculosis. It may be that we shall yet learn to 

 know the differences in the behavior of living matter toward 

 different re- agents, or differences in its quantitative arrangement, 

 so that we may, perhaps, become able, from the examination 

 of a few colorless blood-corpuscles, to gain an insight into the 

 condition and vital power of the whole individual. If this come 

 to pass, it will be possible to recognize certain diseases by means 

 of the microscope before they are sufficiently developed to do 

 much harm ; and we may thus come a step nearer to the highest 

 aim of the physician the prevention of disease. At all events, 

 every exact scientific investigation, even though at first of theo- 

 retical value only, sooner or later brings with it some practical 

 benefit." 



The hopes here expressed have already, to a certain degree, 

 been realized, and the practical value of the new discoveries 

 demonstrated. 



In 1879, I said in the introduction of an essay : * 



" I am far from blaming any physician who, perhaps ten or 

 even five years ago, has studied microscopy, and left it disgusted 

 or in despair. The standard doctrine of l cells ' and the ' cellular 

 pathology' was unsatisfactory indeed. Beyond the proof of 

 the presence of cells, microscopy did not advance, and the 

 examiners have been satisfied if they could see cells, the 

 greatly varying shape and size and appearance of which 

 they had to admit, without knowing any of the causes of the 

 variations. 



" To-day the cell-doctrine is surpassed by new discoveries. 

 Instead of looking at the shape of the cell, we have learned to 

 study the minute structure of its mass, the so-called protoplasm, 

 of which we know that it represents a constituent part of the 

 organism. Many of the morbid relations of the protoplasm have 

 been revealed, and made use of for practical purposes. We climb 

 upward upon the shoulders of the ingenious founder of the 

 cellular pathology, R. Virchow j and that the new doctrine, for 

 which has been proposed the term * bioplasson-doctrine/ has 

 really arrived at a certain point of perfection, I presently intend 

 to demonstrate." 



For the researches and deductions here alluded to, 'see 

 page 58. 



"The Aid which Medical Diagnosis receives from Recent Discoveries 

 in Microscopy." Archives of Medicine, 1879. 



