520 



GENERAL PHYSIOLOGY 



tegration. If then the hydrogen be very rapidly displaced by fresh 

 air, it is frequently possible to prevent complete disintegration, 

 which otherwise invariably appears after a short time. It follows 

 from this that in non-nucleated protoplasmic masses, oxidation 

 processes take place as in nucleated masses and uninjured cells. 

 Respiration, therefore, is in a certain degree independent of the 

 influence of the nucleus. This is completely confirmed by the 

 experiments of Demoor ('95), who put the cells of Spirogyra into 

 pure hydrogen and found that the protoplasm soon suspended all 



Fig. 258. — /, Engelmann's gas-chamber. An annular space is closed Ijelow by a glass plate and 

 above by a metal cover, the latter having in its middle a cover -glass for the examination 

 of a pendent drop ; a a' are tubes which open into the cavity of the ring and serve for heatiDg 

 the latter by conveying warm water through it ; b b' are tubes which open into the glass- 

 covered chamber and serve for the passage of gases ; the drop suspended upon the cover- 

 glass with its living contents is bathed bj' the gas in the chamber. II, AiTangement for 

 investigation in pure hydrogen, a, Kipp's apparatus for the production of hydrogen ; h, two 

 wash-bottles for purifying the hydrogen ; c, microscope upon which is the gas-chamber 

 containing the pendent drop. 



vital phenomena, while the nucleus showed no disturbance and 

 quietly jjroceeded to divide. It appears, accordingly, as if 

 respiration were localized exclusively in the protoplasm, as if the 

 nucleus took no direct part in the oxidation-processes. 



In view of these discoveries in non-nucleated masses of protoplasm, 

 it would be desirable to perfonu analogous experiments upon 

 nuclei deprived of protoplasm, in order to find out whether certain 

 metabolic processes continue undisturbed after the exclusion 

 of the latter. But the decision of this question is beset with 

 great difficulties, for the simple reason that it is not easy to find 



