68 THE CELL DOCTRINE. 



above statements we have the Jirst distinctive feature 

 of Virchow'e theory. 



Again, since every organized body is usually made 

 up of a number of these cells, each independent in 

 itself, yet combined and arranged for the attainment 

 of a special end, and therefore mutually dependent, 

 there result certain communities or cell territories 

 into which the body is portioned out by Virchow. 

 But not only is the relation of these cells to each 

 and to the central cell whence they took their origin 

 mutually dependent, but in many animal tissues, at 

 least, we have the so-called inter cell alar substance, in 

 a certain definite manner dependent upon the cell 

 or cells which it surrounds, " so that certain districts 

 belong to one cell and certain others to another." 

 Especially is this the case in pathological processes, 

 where sharp boundaries may often be drawn between 

 cell territories. Herein have we the second dis- 

 tinguishing character of Virchow's theory. 

 ^ There are also a third and fourth distinctive fea- 

 tures. It has already been explained that the prin- 

 ciple of the theory of Schleiden and Schwann lay 

 in this, that every tissue, healthy or morbid, results 

 from the apposition of cells, and that this principle 

 is still observed as correct, the mode of origin of the 

 primary cell being alone the object of dispute. Ac- 

 cording to Virchow, however, it is a special cell 

 which becomes the starting-point of physiological 

 and pathological processes, and by its various meta- 

 morphoses constitutes the healthy or morbid tissue, 

 excepting epithelial formations. This cell is the so- 

 called connective tissue corpuscle, or cell of the con- 



