'ih 



318 



THE BEGINNINGS OF LIFE, 



most part in small quantities through numerous sepa- 

 rate and more or less closed cellular compartments 

 they are little prone to undergo any save the lower 

 modes of organic evolution. But^ as we have learned 



from the 



t) 



M 



from the 



observations of many other workers. Bacteria may be 

 produced in abundance in these situations, and so also 

 may low fungoid organisms. 



When M 



placed some 



Ap 



cynum in water^ in order by maceration to isolate the 

 laticiferous vessels, the latex within the latter at first 

 underwent its accustomed alterations in appearance. 

 The small globules which it usually contains united 

 either into larger globules, or else into masses of a 

 more or less homogeneous character. At a later stage 

 all this latex had undergone a new change; it had 

 become finely granular, and there only remained here 

 and there, as relics of the former condition, minute 

 portions of the old homogeneous material. M. Trecul 



says ^ : 



This was of itself a sufficiently singular 



occurrence. But 



my surprise was great when, after 



having placed these laticiferous vessels in contact with 

 iodine and sulphuric acid, I saw their whole contents 

 become of a deep violet colour, whilst the little masses 

 of latex which had not undergone this last change, and 

 which were enveloped by portions of the juice that 

 had become thus finely granular, remained uncoloured, 

 or else had assumed the yellow colour which iodine 



* 'Compt. Rend.' (1865), t. Ixi. p. 158. 



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