﻿14 
  Mr. 
  R 
  Beer 
  and 
  Dr. 
  A. 
  Arber. 
  On 
  the 
  

  

  Kaciborski* 
  found 
  that, 
  when 
  an 
  old 
  culture 
  of 
  Basidiobolus 
  ranarum 
  was 
  

   transferred 
  to 
  a 
  10 
  per 
  cent, 
  solution 
  of 
  glycerine 
  and 
  the 
  temperature 
  raised 
  

   to 
  30° 
  O.j 
  cell-division 
  was 
  inhibited, 
  whilst 
  nuclear 
  division 
  continued. 
  

  

  All 
  these 
  observations 
  refer 
  to 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  the 
  multinucleate 
  

   condition 
  as 
  a 
  pathological 
  phenomenon 
  due 
  to 
  the 
  action 
  of 
  abnormal 
  

   conditions 
  upon 
  the 
  cell. 
  In 
  the 
  series 
  of 
  cases 
  dealt 
  with 
  in 
  the 
  present 
  

   paper, 
  the 
  phenomenon 
  is 
  entirely 
  due 
  to 
  normal 
  agencies 
  arising 
  in 
  the 
  

   ordinary 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  plant. 
  The 
  transition 
  from 
  the 
  meristematic 
  to 
  the 
  

   adult 
  condition 
  apparently 
  affects 
  the 
  cytoplasm 
  first 
  and 
  the 
  nucleus 
  only 
  

   at 
  a 
  later 
  period. 
  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  note, 
  however, 
  that 
  the 
  cytoplasm 
  is 
  

   still 
  capable 
  of 
  taking 
  a 
  considerable 
  share 
  in 
  the 
  mitosis, 
  since 
  a 
  perfectly 
  

   normal 
  spindle 
  is 
  differentiated 
  which 
  effects 
  the 
  regular 
  distribution 
  of 
  the 
  

   daughter 
  chromosomes 
  to 
  the 
  poles. 
  A 
  cell 
  plate 
  even 
  is 
  formed 
  at 
  the 
  

   equator 
  of 
  the 
  spindle, 
  but, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  could 
  be 
  seen, 
  this 
  plate 
  never 
  splits, 
  

   and 
  it 
  is 
  apparently 
  at 
  this 
  point 
  that 
  the 
  cytoplasmic 
  mechanism 
  breaks 
  

   down. 
  

  

  This 
  independent 
  susceptibility 
  of 
  cytoplasm 
  and 
  nucleus 
  is 
  probably 
  not 
  

   without 
  its 
  significance 
  in 
  the 
  life 
  of 
  the 
  plant. 
  

  

  As 
  we 
  have 
  already 
  stated, 
  the 
  multinucleate 
  phase 
  reaches 
  its 
  most 
  

   characteristic 
  expression 
  just 
  previous 
  to 
  the 
  maximum 
  period 
  of 
  growth 
  

   undergone 
  by 
  the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  stem, 
  leaf, 
  or 
  root 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  occurs. 
  At 
  

   such 
  a 
  time 
  metabolic 
  activities 
  must 
  be 
  running 
  high 
  in 
  these 
  cells 
  and 
  it 
  

   is 
  very 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  multinucleate 
  condition 
  is 
  in 
  some 
  way 
  directly 
  

   associated 
  with 
  the 
  elaboration 
  of 
  material 
  required 
  for 
  their 
  growth. 
  

  

  Elsewhere 
  we 
  have 
  abundant 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  nucleus 
  plays 
  an 
  important 
  

   role 
  in 
  cell 
  metabolism, 
  and 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  facts 
  have 
  been 
  recorded 
  which 
  

   tend 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  an 
  active 
  interchange 
  of 
  influences, 
  probably 
  both 
  material 
  

   and 
  dynamic, 
  takes 
  place 
  between 
  the 
  nucleus 
  and 
  the 
  cytoplasm 
  during 
  the 
  

   elaboration 
  of 
  materials 
  by 
  the 
  cell. 
  This 
  interchange 
  is 
  undoubtedly 
  

   facilitated 
  by 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  nuclear 
  surface. 
  

  

  A 
  number 
  of 
  cases 
  are 
  known 
  in 
  the 
  animal 
  organism 
  in 
  which 
  cells 
  

   engaged 
  in 
  intense 
  secretory 
  activity 
  exhibit 
  a 
  greatly 
  enlarged 
  nuclear 
  

   surface. 
  The 
  silk-glands 
  of 
  various 
  insect 
  larvae, 
  examined 
  by 
  Meckel,f 
  

   Zaddach,J 
  and 
  Korschelt,§ 
  are 
  characterised 
  by 
  great 
  secretory 
  activity, 
  and 
  

   this 
  is 
  associated 
  with 
  a 
  much-lobed 
  and 
  branched 
  nucleus. 
  The 
  glandular 
  

   * 
  Kaciborski, 
  M., 
  1 
  Flora,' 
  vol. 
  82, 
  pp. 
  107-132 
  (1896). 
  

  

  t 
  Meckel, 
  H., 
  ' 
  Archiv 
  f. 
  Anat. 
  Phys. 
  u. 
  Wiss. 
  Med.' 
  (Muller), 
  pp. 
  1-73 
  (1846). 
  

  

  % 
  Zaddach, 
  G., 
  ' 
  Untersucliungen 
  iiber 
  die 
  Entwickelung 
  und 
  den 
  Bau 
  der 
  Glieder- 
  

   thiere 
  : 
  I. 
  Die 
  Entwickelung 
  des 
  Phryganideneies,' 
  Berlin, 
  1854. 
  

  

  § 
  Korschelt, 
  E., 
  ' 
  Zoologische 
  Jalirbiicher 
  : 
  Abtheilung 
  fiir 
  Anatomie 
  u. 
  Ontogenie 
  der 
  

   Tkiere,' 
  vol. 
  4 
  (Part 
  I, 
  1889), 
  pp: 
  1-154 
  (1891). 
  

  

  