The researches of Wigand and Sanio were sufficient to overthrow von
Mohl’s account of the intercellular substance and the cuticle, but
they had not proved that the intermediate laminae are in fact the
primary partition-walls on which von Mold’s secondary thickening-layers
had been deposited, on both sides in the case of the intercellular
substance, on one side in that of the cuticle. The structure of the
partition-walls and the existence of the cuticle could be explained
in a totally different way from the point of view now opened by
Nägeli’s theory of intussusception; there was no need now to see
either a secretion or a primary cell-wall in the intermediate lamina
of thickened cells or in the cuticle, for it was possible that
this lamination might be due to subsequent chemical and physical
differentiation of membranes thickened by intussusception. As
phytotomists are not yet quite agreed as to the correctness of this
view, we must be content with observing here that in the matter of the
cuticle and the intercellular substance lies one of the points, the
determination of which will involve the question of von Mohl’s earlier
theory of apposition. It is not the purpose of this history to give the
more modern views that have asserted themselves since 1860, especially
where the question is still in debate.
It was a part of von Mohl’s idea of the cell-tissue and one to which
he had firmly adhered since 1828, that except in the cross walls of
genuine wood-vessels and some very isolated cases the partition-walls
in cellular tissue are never perforated; that both simple and bordered
pits always remain closed by the very thin primary lamina of cellulose.
But between 1850 and 1860 several cases were discovered which were
at once exceptions to von Mohl’s rule, and of great importance to
physiology. Theodor Hartig, in his ‘Naturgeschichte der forstlichen
Kulturpflanzen Deutschlands’ (1851), described peculiar rows of
cells in the bast-system, in which the transverse and sometimes the
longitudinal walls appear to be pierced like a sieve by numerous
minute holes, and to these cells he gave the name of sieve-tubes.
Von Mohl (1855), while in other points confirming and extending
Hartig’s discovery, declared against the perforation of the walls,
believing that the appearances were due to lattice-like thickenings
of the cell-walls; he proposed therefore to call Hartig’s sieve-tubes
latticed cells. Then Nägeli showed in 1861 that in some cases at least
there can be no doubt that the walls are actually perforated, and
that the sieve-plates serve for the passage of mucilaginous matter
in bast-tissue, and the author of this history, it may be remarked
in passing in 1863, and Hanstein in 1864, suggested means by which
it may be ascertained with certainty that Hartig’s sieve-plates
are perforated. Meanwhile a number of laticiferous organs had been
recognised as forms of vessels in von Mohl’s sense, and it was found
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account