62 
H. E. Jordan 
included under the general term of mitochondria : Plastidule (Maggi); 
bodies of v. Brunn (v. Brunn 1884); mitosome, (Platner 1889); graniüa 
(cytomicrosome?), bioblast (Altmann 1898); mitochondria (granules — 
Benda 1897); ehondriomites (filaments — Benda 1897); chondriosome 
(granule or thread — Meves 1904); chondriocont (short rod or tliread — 
Meines 1907); chondriome (rod — Duesberg 1909); pseudochromosome 
(Heidenhain 1900); ehromidial-net (Hertwig 1902); chromidium and 
chromidial appaxatus (Goldschmidt 1904); spheroplast (Faure-Fremiet 
1909); histomeres (Heidenhain 1911); chromidial bodies or elements 
taking pari in the vegetative functions of the cell = tropho-chromidia 
(Mesnil 1905), somato-chromidia (Schaudinn 1905); chromidia taking 
pari in forming gametes = sporetia (Goldschmidt 1904), idiochromidia 
(Mesnil 1905), gameto-chromidia (Schaudinn 1905). “Chondriosome” 
and “mitochondria” are now more conunonly used as the general terms. 
Heidenhain (1911) regards the former as the “dass name” 8 ). 
Meves (1907) believes that the chondriosomes compose the material sub- 
stratum underlying the differentiation processes i. e. different fibril struc- 
tures: protoplasmic fibrils of epidermal cells, myofibrils, neurofibrils, 
connective tissue fibrils. He regards them as undifferentiated structures 
(typicaUy rod — form) which undergo varied Chemical alterations in 
primary transformation into neurofibrils etc. A Chemical change is in- 
ferred from the fact that the various types of fibrils are not stained by 
the same dye (Benda’s stain) which discloses the chondriosomes. The 
mitochondrial origin of various cell-fibrils, notably myofibrils, is well 
established on the basis of numerous works, among which may be 
mentioned especially those of Meves and Duesberg on the chick. On 
the other hand, Scott (1899) and also Dolly (1910) have described 
the tigroid substanee (basichromatin — Scott) of nerve cells as arising 
from the nucieus in the shape of chromidia. The single fact that Nissl’s 
granules are described as chromidia having a nuclear origin and neuro- 
fibrillae as mitochondria having a cvtoplasmic origin, if both conclu- 
sions are well established, indicates that chromidia and mitochondria 
are after all distinct and separate substances and that the discussion 
of the origin of these bodies (as identical things) is quite gratuitous. 
According to Meves (1908) the mitochondria represent a primitive 
and hereditary substanee of the cytoplasm. He concludes (1910) “that 
they are present not only in the male and female germ cells, but also in 
embryonal cells, and that they are the Anlagen-substances for the pro- 
duction of the most varied differentiations which occur during the pro- 
cess of cytogenesis”. He agrees with Benda (1903) that they take part 
