32 ORGANISED FLUIDS. 



really occur; its outline becomes irregular, and the surface 

 presents numerous short and obtuse points or spines.* Globules 

 in this state bear some resemblance to the pollen granules of 

 the order Composites.^ (See Plate 1.^. 5.) 



* Mr. Wharton Jones says, " the granulated appearance " seems to be 

 owing to a contraction of the inner and a wrinkling of the outer of the 

 two layers of which he conceives the wall of the corpuscle to be formed. 



f Th2 opinions promulgated by some observers in reference to the 

 intimate structure of the blood corpuscle are singular, and are rendered 

 interesting mainly by reason of the ingenuity of the views expressed. 

 Mr. Addison remarks ', "Blood corpuscles, therefore, appear to consist of 

 two elastic vesicles, one within the other, and to possess the following 

 structure, 1st, an external and highly elastic tunic, forming the outer 

 vesicle ; 2nd, an inner elastic tunic forming the interior vesicle ; 3rd, a 

 coloured matter occupying the space between the two tunics ; and 4th, a 

 peculiar matter forming the central portion of the corpuscle." Mr. 

 Wharton Jones 2 ascribes a somewhat similar constitution to the blood 

 corpuscle. " The thick wall of the red corpuscle," he says, " consists of two 

 layers. The outer is transparent, colourless, structureless, and resisting, 

 and constitutes about one half of the whole thickness of the wall. The 

 inner layer is softer and less resisting ; and is that which is the seat of the 

 colouring matter. Dr. G. O. Rees and Mr. Lane 3 describe the blood cor- 

 puscle as containing a fluid and provided with a nucleus composed of 

 a thin and colourless substance. The views of Dr. Martin Barry are, 

 however, the most peculiar of any ever yet published in reference 

 to the blood corpuscle ; when first they were announced in the pages 

 of the Philosophical Transactions, the scientific world were taken 

 by surprise and wonderment. Microscopes which had long been 

 suffered to remain undisturbed on their shelves were immediately 

 had recourse to, and many scientific men who previously had never 

 employed the instrument in their investigations, were induced to pro- 

 cure it, in order that they might themselves bear ocular witness of 

 the astonishing facts related by Dr, Barry in reference to blood corpuscles. 

 A short abstract of Dr. Barry's views will be read by some with interest. 

 Dr. Barry considers, that the molecules, the red corpuscles, and the 

 white globules, are different states of the developernent of the same 

 structure, the true blood globule. (This is also the opinion of Addison 

 and Donne.) The first he denominates a " disc," and the last a " parent 



1 Experimental Researches, pp. 236, 237. Transactions of Prov. Med. 

 and Surg. Association. 



2 See British and Foreign Medical Review, No. xxvm. 



3 Guy's Hospital Reports, 1840. 



