1893.] Organism without Characteristics of Mother. 223 
Although the law, that the substances giving the definite 
and hereditary characters to the cell are entirely contained in 
the nucleus, is at times spoken of as a very probable hypothe- 
sis, but again even as a fact, yet it may be easily shown that 
this can be known to us neither in the well known phenome- 
non of fertilization of the egg, nor through the researches 
already carried out, concerning the rôle of the nucleus in the 
protozoa. 
Simple reflection shows moreover that the determination 
whether or not this Theory of Inheritance (Vererbungs-Theorie) 
is true, can be settled in one way alone, viz., to take two differ- 
ent sorts of cells, utilizing the nucleus of one and the proto- 
plasm of the other, to form a new cell. If the nucleus and 
protoplasm are so constituted that they can exist together, then 
will the properties arising from this cell, made artificially, 
answer our question. For then either the exclusive qualities 
of that cell will develop which had held the nucleus, or those 
will arise that come from the protoplasm, or lastly, from a 
mixture of both; showing whether the nucleus alone or the 
protoplasm alone (or both of the two constituents) is able to 
transfer to the other the properties it possesses on account of 
its origin, so as to bring about a reverse result in the other. 
The idea of inheritance in the narrower sense corresponds to 
such a choice of the two cells, that the cell produced arti- 
ficially out of the nucleus of the one and the protoplasm of 
another forms a cell capable of development. 
Moreover in the case of the egg, as in no other, an opportu- 
nity is given to solve the question; because for no other cell do 
We possess SO accurate a method of judging of its qualities as is 
given in the egg by means of the adult organism that comes 
from the egg. 
Rauber' has already isidi on a wodburel of this sort. He 
describes it as follows. “The nucleus of the first segmentation 
sphere of a frog’s egg was drawn out an hour after fertilization, 
by means of a pipette stuck into it. The same process was 
carried out in a fertilized toad’s egg. These two pipettes were 
exchanged, and the nucleus of the toad’s egg placed in 
1Rauber Zoologischer Auzeiger 15 March, 1886, pp. 17-. 
