852 ON THE REAL NATURE OF DISEASE GERMS. 
to the vessels being surrounded with nutrient pabulum, and 
stationary, would grow and multiply rapidly, while a similar 
change would of course go on in the now stagnant fluid in 
the interior of the capillary. The result would be exactly 
that which is observed, viz. the presence of a vast number 
of cells like white blood-corpuscles in the interior of the 
capillary vessel, and immediately around its external surface , and 
sometimes these extend for some distance in the substance 
of the surrounding tissue, and they increase in number. 
“ I venture, then, to conclude that many of the clear fluids 
which have been considered as ‘ exudations 5 from the blood, 
really contain a multitude of extremely minute particles of 
living matter, which are intimately related to the white 
blood-corpuscles, and that these grow and become one source 
of the small granular cells or corpuscles which are so familiar 
to all who have studied morbid shanges in the tissues as they 
occur in man and the higher animals. 
“ Some of these active living particles may be so small as 
to be invisible by a power magnifying 5000 diameters. I 
have seen such particles, less than the 50,000th of an inch 
in diameter, and have no reason whatever for assuming that 
these are really the smallest that exist.” 
These minute particles of bioplasm multiply freely, but 
they may also be derived from the white blood-corpuscles, 
and from other forms of bioplasm. As the blood coagulates 
they undergo change, die, and help to form the non-living 
fibrin. In every clot numerous white blood-corpuscles, also 
composed of living matter, can be detected. In coagulation 
it is probable that the most minute particles of bioplasm 
change first, and become fibrin. After a time the white 
blood-corpuscles also die, and thus the coagulum of fibrin 
continues to increase for a short time after coagulation has 
commenced. The lines round the red blood-corpuscles seen 
stretching from one to the other in a drop of coagulating 
blood indicate the earliest stage in the formation of fibrin. 
The minute particles of bioplasm may be seen actually 
undergoing change. The bioplasm of the blood is derived 
from the bioplasm originally found in the vessels of the 
germinal area at a very early period of development, from 
the bioplasm of the capillary walls, which is very abundant 
in some capillaries, and projects into the cavity, and from 
the lymph and chyle bioplasm which is being continually 
poured into the vascular system and mixed with the blood. 
If the clear transparent material which moves round the 
cells of Vallisneria and other plants be carefully examined 
under very high powers magnifying upwards of 2000 
