406 THE BLOOD, BY ALEXANDER ROLLETT. 



nomena do not essentially vary if the air thus charged with 

 vapour is exchanged at definite periods for pure air. 



If these reagents be added to the blood in a fluid condition, 

 it will be found that ether and chloroform effect similar 

 changes, except that a large number of blood corpuscles become 

 spheroidal. Alcohol readily produces precipitates and irregular 

 shrivelling. 



OPINIONS RESPECTING THE STRUCTURE OF THE RED BLOOD 



CORPUSCLES. In the exposition of these we need only go back 

 to the time when the view which, though it had been advanced 

 indeed before Schwann, yet was generally adopted only in 

 consequence of his doctrine of the structure of animal cells, 

 namely, that the red corpuscles are vesicles consisting of a 

 membrane with fluid contents, began to be doubted. 



The opponents of this view, after Max Schultze had, in 1861, 

 demonstrated that a cell membrane is not a constant constituent 

 of a cell, directed their attacks against the presence of a mem- 

 brane in the red blood corpuscles. The presence or absence of 

 a membrane must necessarily influence the conception of the 

 nature of those constituents of the blood corpuscles which were 

 formerly regarded as the coloured contents. In the criticism 

 directed by Max Schultze against the cell theory of Schwann, 

 the red blood corpuscles played a part, since in the discussion 

 respecting the necessity of a nucleus to complete our idea 

 of a cell, those of Man and Mammals were adduced as being 

 destitute of a nucleus. This was for a considerable time 

 almost universally taught, and of late has been opposed by 

 Bottcher* alone. After what has already been stated in refer- 

 ence to the question of the nucleus, however, I do not consider 

 it requisite to enter more fully into that subject, but shall refer 

 to the communications of Bottcher, Klebs,f A. Schmidt, and 

 Schweigger-Seidel.J We must deal differently with the ques- 

 tion, whether the red blood corpuscles do, or do not, possess a 

 membrane. 



* Virchow's Archiv, Bande xxxvi. and xxxix. 



t Virchow's Archiv, Band xxxviii. 



J Konig. SZchs. Geselkchaft, etc., Math. Phys. Classe, 1867, p. 190. 



