a l etat liquide, elles tendent a se briser en petits fragments
transversaux. Les _sarcous elements_ de Bowman, qui ne sont autre
chose que les produits de cette division transversale des fibrilles
elementaires, peuvent etre prepares et isoles a l aide du suc
gastrique, pourvu qu on n attend pas jusqu a la liquefaction complete
du muscle.
After an interval of 72 hrs., from the time when the five cubes were
placed on the leaves, I opened the four remaining ones. On two nothing
could be seen but little masses of transparent viscid fluid; but when
these were examined under a high power, fat-globules, bits of
fibro-elastic tissue, and some few parallelograms of sarcous matter,
could be distinguished, but not a vestige of transverse striae. On the
other two leaves there were minute spheres of only partially digested
meat in the centre of much transparent fluid.
Fibrin. Bits of fibrin were left in water during four days, whilst the
following experiments were tried, but they were not in the least acted
on. The fibrin which I first used was not pure, and included dark
particles: it had either not been well prepared or had subsequently
undergone some change. Thin portions, about 1/10 of an inch square,
were placed on several leaves, and though the fibrin was soon
liquefied, the whole was never dissolved. Smaller particles were then
placed on four leaves, and minute [page 101] drops of hydrochloric acid
(one part to 437 of water) were added; this seemed to hasten the
process of digestion, for on one leaf all was liquified and absorbed
after 20 hrs.; but on the three other leaves some undissolved residue
was left after 48 hrs. It is remarkable that in all the above and
following experiments, as well as when much larger bits of fibrin were
used, the leaves were very little excited; and it was sometimes
necessary to add a little saliva to induce complete inflection. The
leaves, moreover, began to re-expand after only 48 hrs., whereas they
would have remained inflected for a much longer time had insects, meat,
cartilage, albumen, &c., been placed on them.
I then tried some pure white fibrin, sent me by Dr. Burdon Sanderson.
[Experiment 1. Two particles, barely 1/20 of an inch (1.27 mm.) square,
were placed on opposite sides of the same leaf. One of these did not
excite the surrounding tentacles, and the gland on which it rested soon
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