Philosophy of Botany. 273 



the Protobiens. He defines them as very minute, living plas- 

 ma-granules proceeding from micellar organization. Nageli 

 thinks that these bodies are too minute to become distinguish- 

 able even under the highest powers. To be more explicit I 

 quote three paragraphs from Nageli's work, referring the reader 

 to the original work : 



" Certain organic compounds, among them albumen, are nei- 

 ther soluble, despite their great affinity for water, nor are they 

 fusible, and hence are produced in the micellar form. These 

 compounds are formed in water where the molecules that arise 

 immediately adjoining each other arrange themselves into 

 incipient crystals, or micellae. Only such of the molecules 

 as are formed subsequently and come into contact with the 

 micella, contribute to its increase in size, while the others, on 

 account of their insolubility, produce new micellae. For this 

 reason the micellae remain so small that they are invisible, even 

 with the microscope. 



" On account of their great affinity for water the micellae 

 surround themselves with a thick film of it. The attraction 

 of these micellae for matter of their own kind is felt outside of 

 this film. Hence the micellae with their films unite themselves 

 into solid masses permeated with water, unless other forces 

 overcome attraction. The internal and external constitution 

 of micellar bodies depends essentially upon the size, form, and 

 dynamic nature of their micellae, since on these factors depends 

 the original arrangement of the micellae, and the insertion in 

 proper order of those formed later. 



" The micella) of albumen or plasma are susceptible of the 

 greatest diversity of form, size, and chemical composition, 

 since they ol-iginate from unlike mixtures of various albumen 

 compounds, and besides are mixed with various organic and 

 inorganic substances. For this reason the plasma behaves, 

 both chemically and physically, in many unlike ways, and in 

 consequence of the variable relation of the micellae to water, 

 the plasma shows all degrees of micellar solution up to quite 

 solid masses. Within the plasma masses the production of 

 albumen goes on more easily under the influence of their molec- 

 ular forces than in the liquid without. Hence the compounds 

 present in the organic substratum and capable of forming 



