26 
THE ORGANIC CELL 
of oil, food particles, and excretory products. These passive 
elements may be termed metaplasm in order to differentiate 
them from the active protoplasm. 
The cell-wall must also be looked upon as a lifeless product 
of the protoplasm. 
Unfortunately there has been introduced a somewhat 
exuberant nomenclature regarding the cell. For the sake of 
clearness the term protoplasm will apply to the whole active 
cell-substance, including the nuclear material ; this latter may 
be termed the karyoplasm, while the substance of the cell- 
body will be termed cytoplasm. 
This is the nomenclature introduced by Strasburger and 
Flemming, and it will probably be found more useful than any 
of the others. It must be strongly impressed on the memory 
that neither term expresses a single homogeneous substance ; 
for, as will be seen later, the cytoplasm and karyoplasm consist 
of several distinct elements. 
During the process of cell- division the membrane which 
usually surrounds the nucleus disappears, and the cytoplasm 
and karyoplasm become continuous. It should also be remem- 
bered that when the cell is in the so-called resting stage the 
intra- and extra -nuclear material may be continuous with the 
nuclear membrane. 
The fact still remains that the cytoplasm and karyoplasm 
have a different chemical composition, the latter containing 
a substance called nuclein, which is rich in phosphorus, whilst 
the cytoplasm contains no nuclein, but possesses an abundance 
of albuminous substances, such as albumins, globulins, &c. 
Speaking broadly, the cell-substance must be differentiated 
into a nucleus and cell-body, because of the universal presence 
of the nucleus, and also as representing the two forms of 
metabolism, destructive and constructive, which are essential 
characters of cell-life. 
Protoplasm 
Under low powers protoplasm shows no definite structure, 
but has a somewhat granular appearance. Using high powers 
and staining re-agents it is possible to show that both nucleus 
and cell-body have a very complex structure. Observers 
