236 BOTANICAL GAZETTE. [ October, 



tory addresses, would result in annoyance to you and utter 

 discomfiture for me. Apropos of this, I am reminded of a 

 series of experiments upon protoplasm, conducted in a Ger- 

 man laboratory, which will illustrate the embarassment which 

 the case presents. The study to which I refer was with re- 

 gard to certain organisms of very low grade. *\t a given 

 period in the life of these organisms, their microscopic mass- 

 es of protoplasm become confluent in such abundance that 

 sufficient material can be procured for experiments on a large 

 scale. In the special investigation referred to, a considera- 

 ble quantity of protoplasm obtained in this way was subject- 

 ed to enormous pressure. You can anticipate the result, 

 there remained behind only a shrunken residue of what we 

 may call, without figure of speech, the most juiceless and 

 the driest of husks. 



This natural result of extreme compression has stared me 

 in the face during the preparation of the present address. A 

 similar result is more than likely to follow my attempt to 

 bring within very narrow limits the subject which I have 

 chosen for your consideration. 



The word protoplasm was coined by Hugo von Mohl in 

 order to designate certain active contents of the vegetable 

 cell. 



We shall gain in clearness of vision by letting our glance 

 rest first on the results of investigating vegetable cells and 

 cell contents, anterior to von Mohl's time, in order that we 

 may see some of the steps by which this term was reached 

 by him. The compound microscope was not applied serious- 

 ly to the examination of the structure of plants until about 

 fifty years after its discovery by Drebbel. In 1667, Robert 

 Hooke, of England, published an account of his investiga- 

 tions of minerals, plants and animals under the microscope, 

 and gave excellent illustrations of what he thought he saw. 

 His first reference to the structure of plants is in his descrip- 

 tion of charcoal, and this is followed by a good account of 

 common cork. In these brief and fairly accurate descrip- 

 tions, the author makes use of the word "cell" applying the 

 term to the cavities in charcoal and in cork. 



Hooke's interesting treatise was soon followed by two re- 

 markable memoirs — one by an Italian, the other by an Eng- 

 lishman. Malpighi, of Bologna, sent to the Royal Society 

 of London, in 1670, a work entitled Anatome Pfantarum. 

 The published volumes bear the dates 1675 and 1679. At 

 the period these volumes were in the hands of the Royal So- 

 ciety, Nehemiah Grew , secretary of the Society, was engaged 



