1909J GRIGGS— AM ITOSIS IN SYNCHYTRIUM 135 



regions of excessively rapid growth, where the nuclei are small and 

 have scant cytoplasm, while the larger nuclei, better supplied with 

 cytoplasm, divide by mitosis. This leads Child to conclude (5, p- 

 292): "In short I am inclined to believe that amitosis is associated 

 with conditions where the demand for material or perhaps for some 

 particular substances exceeds the supply.' ' The behavior of the 

 nudei of Synchytrium is distinctly opposed to the generalization of 

 this hypothesis, for in Synchytrium amitosis is most marked when the 

 nuclei are largest and the ratio of nuclei to cytoplasm is at a minimum. 



may 



bry 



trium 



primary 

 presumably 



But in all of these cases the conditions of growth demand an 



excessively rapid multiplication of nuclei, and indicate that the 



process of nuclear reproduction is pressed on so rapidly as to give no 



opportunity for the rhythmic pause occasioned by mitosis. If the 



a timuh to growth and reproduction are independent, as many obser- 

 vations indiratP ota >^r>,. il.i ...i ..I 4.: l™ *~ rli'vi'cmn 



the 



suppose that when the stimulus 



without 



mitosis. If the stimulus were 



mitosis 



chromatin would result, and the daughter nuclei would be mostly 



Perfect; 



became 



plode 



Po ion of the chromatin would never succeed in forming new nuclei 

 .J! , Thls is exa ctly in line with Child's view that amitosis is an 



omic P r °cess which ". . . . pushed to the extreme must 

 inat «• eSUlt in the total destruction of the original substances," so 

 but til 1S - n0t Strange that degeneration frequently follows amitosis, 



alw 

 that 



th e facts 



Prove that it does not." While 



must 



t0 accord 

 ^sociatin 



which 



rea Pn . J uie n °n-mitotic div 

 ^ting members, embryo 



