143 Royal Society. 



nose, for instance, the faint oval " nuclei " of the large scales become 

 during disintegration more and more distinct and globular. The 

 surrounding material of the scale gradually liquefies, and the minute 

 balls, thus liberated, expand by imbibition into mucus- or pus-cor- 

 puscles. It often succeeds in causing them to form in all perfection 

 whilst they are still contained within the scale. 



In abscesses of the skin the pus-corpuscles are formed in exactly 

 the same manner. They can often be watched, fully shaped, still 

 enclosed within the scale. Here, it would seem, are " cells " not the 

 result of life, but rather of death. 



The multiple "nuclei" of pus-corpuscles are not the result of 

 over-fecundity, but are simply due to the disintegration of the 

 non-imbibing portion of those oval or spherical sharply defined bodies 

 which are themselves so well known under the name of" nuclei." 



The disintegration of this non-imbibing portion can be traced 

 through all possible stages, down to the cluster of most irregularly 

 shaped granules (which, notwithstanding, have been looked upon 

 as the result of fssiparous division), and has been made to repre- 

 sent the crowning feature of the cell theory. 



The same minute balls found swimming in the serum of a blister 

 were seen, when treated with water, to disclose single bright sliarply 

 defined " nuclei ;" when treated with acetic acid, to reveal the most 

 typical multiple nuclei of pus-cells. 



II. Experimental Verification. 



In all the above-cited observations the existence of a viscid 

 imbibing material was proved with almost conclusive evidence, — a 

 viscid material which is capable of forming globules of a definite 

 size, and which in the living organism actually forms such globules — 

 shapes, the nature of which has been hitherto mistaken. 



After a long search, the substance known under the name of myeline 

 was found to be the desired material. 



When to myeline in its dry amorphous state water is added, 

 slender tubes are seen to shoot forth from all free margins. These 

 are sometimes wonderfully like nerve-tubes in appearance. They 

 are most flexible and plastic. From this curious tendency of 

 shooting forth in a rectihnear direction, it was inferred that a crys- 

 tallizing force must be at work. 



To counteract this tendency, and to oblige the substance to 

 crystallize into globules, it was intimately mixed with white of 

 egg. The result was most perfect. Instead of tubes, splendid 

 clear globules, layer after layer, were formed, resembling closely those 

 of the crystalhne lens formed under similar conditions. 



Here was actually found a viscid substance which, on imbibition, 

 formed globules of a definite size. 



The remaining task was comparatively an easy one. By mixing 

 the myeline with blood-serum, globules were obtained showing the 

 most lively molecular motion. 



When the serum somewhat preponderated, the whole of the globules 



