CHAPTER VII. 



COMMENTARY ON BEALE'S NERVE THEORY. 



THE application of the foregoing principles to the 

 structure and functions of special tissues and organs 

 must of necessity work a great change in our views of 

 physiology and pathology. Much has already been 

 done in this direction by Dr. Beale, although as yet 

 almost single-handed, and to follow him into details 

 would afford the most convincing proofs of the truth 

 of the doctrine of the sole vitality of the protoplasm, 

 which is still so little heeded. It would be out of 

 place, were it not superfluous, for me to attempt that 

 here, and I can merely refer all those who have the 

 opportunity to study his own works, viz., the edition 

 of " Todd and Bowman," " Bioplasm," the treatises on 

 the diseases of the kidneys and the liver, and on 

 disease germs, and numerous memoirs in the " Archives 

 of Medicine," and the medical and microscopical jour- 

 nals. Nevertheless, for those who may not desire to 

 enter on this study in all its completeness, I may give 

 a full commentary on the theory as applied to two 

 important tissues, viz., the muscular and nervous. 



