54 MOEPHOLOGY OF THE BACTERIA. 



these characters to demonstrate the vegetable na- 

 ture of the bacteria. He takes for point of de- 

 parture the notions of general physiology as given 

 by De Blainville in the following points : — 



1. We find in animals various elementary sub- 

 stances of the same kind as in plants, and re- 

 ciprocally. 



2. The ternary compounds predominate, how- 

 ever, in plants ; and the quarternary, nitrogenized, 

 are more abundant, on the contrary, in animals. 



3. In both, the fundamental cellular structure 

 is the same ; at least originally for the greater 

 number, and always in the most simple of organ- 

 ized beings, etc. . . . 



" It results from this, then," continues M. Robin, 

 " that so long as there is no digestive tube one 

 can only distinguish plants from animals by the 

 study of their elementary principles, and of the 

 chemical reactions which these exhibit in general ; 

 by the study, in particular, of the reactions which 

 the predominance of ternary cellulose principles 

 over all others gives to plants, and that of nitro- 

 genized principles in animals, at all periods of 

 their existence." 



Starting from this basis, Robin made numerous 

 attempts to find in liquor ammonia, concentrated, 

 as prepared for use in laboratories, a reagent for 

 corpuscles of a vegetable nature. In effect, am- 

 monia dissolves the eggs, the embryos, of all ani- 

 mals, the bodies of all the inferior infusoria, 

 attacks the spermatozoa, etc., whilst it leaves ab- 

 solutely intact all the varieties of cellulose and 



