THE WONDERS OF LIFE 



and, therefore, whether they are to be classed as true 

 cells or cytodes. This applies especially to the forms 

 which only happened to come under observation once, 

 such as protomyxa and myxastrum. In these obscure 

 cases we must wait for fresh investigations and the ap- 

 plication of the modern methods of tinting the nucleus. 

 I may, however, point out, in passing, that these famous 

 methods of nucleus-coloring give by no means the abso- 

 lute certainty which is ascribed to them ; there are other 

 substances which take color in the same way as chro- 

 matin. As far as my monera theory is concerned, or 

 the great general importance which I attach to these 

 unnucleated living granules of plasm, it does not matter 

 whether a nucleus is detected in these problematic 

 monera or not. The chromacea alone — the most im- 

 portant of all monera — completely suffice to provide a 

 base for the far-reaching theoretical conclusions which I 

 draw from it. 



At the close of these observations on the monera I 

 will briefly recapitulate the weighty inferences which we 

 can deduce from their simple organization. They serve 

 as a solid foundation for the chief theses of our monistic 

 biology; and they are inconsistent with the dualistic 

 views of modern vitalists. In the first place, I empha- 

 size the fact that the structureless plasm-body of the 

 simple monera has no sort of organization and no com- 

 position from dissimilar parts co-operating for definite 

 vital aims. Reinke's conscious "dominant" — as well 

 as Weismann's mechanical "determinants" — have noth- 

 ing to do here. The whole vital activity of the simplest 

 monera, especially of the chromacea, is confined to their 

 metabolism, and is therefore a purely chemical process, 

 that may be compared to the catalysis of inorganic com- 

 pounds. The simple formation of individuals in this 

 primitive Uving matter is merely a question of the cleav- 

 age of plasma globules of a certain size (chroococcus) ; 



208 



