38 
SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 
their proper activity, but in their movement to the poles they are passive, 
and move only in virtue of the contractility of the achromatin. 
The central corpuscle and the attractive sphere are morphologically 
quite distinct, with different staining reactions. Between the two halves 
of the equatorial plate Herla discovers a new element, the equatorial 
“ lentille.” Everything points to the conclusion that the phenomena of 
karyokinesis are dominated by the attractive spheres. 
These are some of the conclusions which Herla has reached in the 
course of his studies. The chief importance of his paper is probably in 
the first part — his contribution to cellular variation and pathology. 
Giant-Cells of the Medulla of Bones.* — Prof. M. Heidenhain de- 
scribes the mononuclear “ megacaryocytes ” from the osseous medulla of 
the rabbit. The enormous nucleus is a perforate hollow sphere, with 
irregular external lobes. Its framework consists of a ground-substance 
of linin, with chromatophilous microsomata imbedded in it. In the 
ectoplasm three concentric zones are distinguishable, and the endoplasm 
may also exhibit differentiated layers. Numerous central corpuscles 
occur in groups ; in one case 135 were counted. Heidenhain discusses 
the minute structure of the plasma, and interprets the zones of the ecto- 
plasm as an arrangement which allows the rapid production of a cell- 
membrane. Probably the only function of the megacaryocytes is to take 
up albuminoid material, act upon it in some specific way, and return it 
again to the blood-plasm. 
Morphology and Distribution of Wandering Cells of Mammalia.! 
— Dr. A. A. Kanthack and Mr. W. B. Hardy point out that the recog- 
nition of the fact that the fine granule of the common blood-corpuscle of 
Mammalia is oxyphile (or stains with acid dyes) enables us to improve on 
Ehrlich’s classification of the specific granules of wandering cells, and to 
arrange them in two main groups : — 
I. Oxyphile granules 
II. Basophile granules 
(а) Coarse (Eosinophile of most writers). 
(б) Fine. 
(a) Coarse (Ehrlich’s y granulation). 
Q>) Fine „ 8 „ 
Similarly, the wandering cells of Mammals fall into three groups : — - 
I. Oxyphile cells { g hoarsely granular. 
II. Basophile cells j g Coarsely granular. 
III. Non-granular or hyaline cells. 
To these may be added : — 
IY. Immature cells or Lymphocytes. 
These different cells are described in detail, and the following table 
gives the facts of structure and distribution of the cells composing the 
sporadic mesoblast of the higher Mammalia : — 
* SB. Phys. Med. Ges. Wurzburg, 1894, pp. 18-32. 
+ Journ. of Physiol., xvii. (1894) pp. 82-119. 
