ON ARTIFICIAL CELLS 121 



stress of surface-tension cannot, as it seems to us, 

 possibly do. The mode of subdivision or repro- 

 duction of a gas-cell would thus be entirely different 

 from that of the other products of radium and 

 bouillon. Although the helium cells differ from 

 ordinary bubbles, on account of the comparatively 

 thick boundary walls their mode of division would 

 be of a somewhat similar nature. 



The budding may not necessarily take place from 

 a single point, but from a curve or surface of least 

 resistance. There would be surface-tension in all 

 cases, but sharp corners would not remain. 



Thus the objection to identifying radiobes with 

 such cells, would be of the same nature as the 

 objection to supposing them to be ordinary bubbles. 

 All the objections based upon the effects obtained by 

 Biitschli of Heidelberg, already referred to, by the 

 action of olive oil on soluble salts by the action of 

 emulsion in water on such salts, which have been ruled 

 out of court, would similarly apply to helium-cells. 



It is, therefore, a matter of importance that some 

 other explanation should be forthcoming of the 

 nature of radio-organic organisms. 



The work of M. Eaphael Dubois of Lyons is 

 of special interest in this matter, although the 

 bodies which he has investigated are, on the 

 face of it, quite different from the ones we have 

 observed. 



In a note communicated to the Soci^t^ de Biologic, 

 May, 1904, he described what are called mineral 



