Unger in an enquiry into the growth of internodes (‘Botanische
Zeitung,’ 1844) again declared himself as an opponent of Schleiden’s
theory. He maintained first of all and erroneously that the
cell-nucleus is not of general occurrence in tissue where division is
taking place, but he argued rightly from the position of the cells,
from the difference of thickness in their walls, and from their
relative size, in favour of their multiplication by the formation of
dividing walls; he noticed the part played by the cell-contents in
the multiplication of cells in hairs, and asserted that merismatic
cell-formation (cell-division) is the general rule in the growth
of organs of vegetation, while he distinctly declared that it was
not possible to bring all that is actually seen at the spots where
formation of cellular tissue is taking place into agreement with
Schleiden’s theory. But Unger did not observe the processes that take
place in cell-division step by step; his observations sufficed to make
Schleiden’s theory very improbable without offering enough foundation
for a new one, and Schleiden did not fail to reply to Unger’s
objections in the second edition of his ‘Grundzüge’ in 1845.
Earlier in the same year, von Mohl published in the ‘Botanische
Zeitung’ the treatise on the primordial utricle which has been already
mentioned; by the term primordial utricle he meant partly the very thin
layer of protoplasm, which in large cells full of sap lines the inside
of the cell-wall, and partly an outer layer of the protoplasm in young
cells, which are still rich in that substance. It is true that the
distinguishing the primordial utricle was not a very important matter;
but von Mohl applied it with his usual thoroughness to obtaining a
better insight into cell-formation by calling attention (p. 289) to
the circumstance, that the cells of the cambium-layer between the rind
and the wood fit into one another and leave no intercellular spaces;
from this he concluded that there are only two possible modifications
of cell-multiplication, either division of cells by formation of a
dividing wall or formation of cells within cells; in each of these
young cells is a primordial utricle, the origin of which must at
least be contemporary with that of the cell (cell-membrane). ‘Could
it then be distinctly shown, that two primordial utricles exist side
by side in cells, which are in the act of multiplying, before a
partition-wall is formed between them, it would be evident that in the
cambium layer and at the points of the stem and root the formation of
the primordial utricle precedes that of the cell.’ Von Mohl believed
that he had seen this process, but was not perfectly satisfied as to
the correctness of his observation; but he continues: ‘Since every
young cell contains a primordial utricle, this must either be absorbed
before a multiplication of the cell commences in order to make way
for two new ones formed in its stead, or the old primordial utricle
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