-(38 EREONEOUS YIEWS CONCERNmG " CELLS." 



earliest form of every structure, the " cell," as de- 

 fined, never exists at an early period of development, 

 and although it may be convenient to retain the name 

 "cell," as representing generally the anatomical unit, 

 we must not in any case expect to find the complex 

 body, which it has been stated over and over again is 

 actually present. 



103. Erroneous views concerning " Cells." — All 

 that can be detected at an early period is a little 

 mass of bioplasm as already stated, § 11, 45. In some 

 cases, new centres are to he seen in the substance of 

 this, but the mass may be destitute of these. As 

 regards the so-called cell wall, this is always absent 

 at an early period of development. Moreover, when 

 cell v:aU or intercellular substance, as it has been 

 wrongly termed, is to be seen, the process of 

 division and subdivision, and all the active phe- 

 nomena, occur in the bioplasm only, and the cell 

 wall and intercellular substance take no part in the 

 process. 



Dr. Carpenter in this country, Dr. Tyson in 

 America, Dr. A. Nicholson and other observers, have 

 accepted to some extent the views advocated by me 

 since 1860, but the majority of "wi'iters continue to 

 teach the old doctrines, taking care, however, to modify 

 certain of the details, and to alter the meaning of many 

 of the terms employed. In many instances, it is to be 

 feared that such attempts serve only to pei-plex the 

 student more and more. Mr. Huxley continues to 

 teach that, " There is a time when the human body, 

 or rather its rudiment, is of one structure throughout, 

 consisting of a more or less transparent matrix, 

 through whicb are scattered minute rounded par- 

 ticles of a different optical aspect. These particles 

 are called nuclei; and as the matrix or matter in 

 which these nuclei are embedded, readily breaks up 

 into spheroidal masses, one for each nucleus, and 

 these investing masses easily take on the form of 



