192 PROTOPLASM 



at some understanding. After they had been christened 

 " Microsomes " by Hanstein in 1882 they obtained to 

 some extent the right of entry, as it were ; for anything 

 that is called by a Greek name at once seems to many people 

 to be much better known, and as something which must 

 be definitely reckoned with. 



With the gradual extension of the theory of the reticular 

 structure of protoplasm the view developed, that a great 

 portion of these protoplasmic granules were merely the nodal 

 points of the network, although the adherents of this theory 

 of course pointed out frequently enough the occurrence of 

 granular deposits in protoplasm. There was also no lack 

 of attempts to refer the protoplasmic structures observed to 

 a special arrangement of the protoplasmic granules. 



Martin, as far back as 1882, developed the latter view 

 very consistently. Protoplasm consists, according to him, 

 of a ground substance, the so-called "gangue protoplas- 

 matique," and of granulations deposited in it. The ground 

 substance is supposed to be the true contractile matter. 

 The granulations embedded in it may now either (1) lie 

 without any regular arrangement whatever in the ground 

 substance, as, for example, in leucocytes and numerous other 

 cells ; or (2) they may be arranged in longitudinal rows 

 one behind the other, from which a striated structure arises 

 in the protoplasm, as, for example, in ciliated epithelial 

 cells ; or (3) finally, a breaking up of the ground substance 

 or " gangue protoplasmatique " into " rods or cylinders " may 

 take place, each of which contains in its axis a row of such 

 granules ; this condition is said to have been evolved in 

 numerous gland cells, as well as in smooth and striped muscle 

 cells ; it is the cause of their longitudinal striation, or rather 

 their fibrillar nature. 1 



Finally, Martin also discusses the question, whether the 

 granulations of the protoplasm might not perhaps be living 



1 Heidenhain in 1875 had already tried to refer the striation of the inter- 

 nal region of the pancreas cells to the deposition of fine tubules in the ground 

 substance of the cell. Into these tubules the granules of the protoplasm 

 were able to penetrate, for which reason the latter often appear arranged in 

 rows. 



