"5. The form of these artificial pseudo-organic elements depends
principally on the nature of the acid radical of the solid salt. Thus the
sulphates and the phosphates generally produce tubes, while the carbonates
form cells.
"6. As a rule these pseudo-organic forms are engendered only by substances
which are found in the living organism. Thus sucrate of calcium will
engender organic forms, whereas sucrate of strontium or barium does not do
so. There are, however, some exceptions to this rule, such as the sulphates
of copper, cadmium, zinc, and nickel.
"7. These artificial pseudo-organic elements are surrounded by veritable
membranes, dializing membranes which allow only liquids to pass through
them. These artificial cells have heterogeneous cell-contents, and produce
in their interior granulations which are disposed in a regular order. Thus
they are both in constitution and in form absolutely similar to the
cellular elements which constitute living organisms.
"8. It is probable that the inorganic elements which are present in the
natural protoplasm may play an important part {118} in determining the form
which is assumed by the figured elements of the organism."
In 1902, Professor Quinke of Heidelberg, who has consecrated his life with
such distinction to the physics of liquids, writes thus of the organogenic
power of liquids in a paper published in the _Annalen der Physik_ under the
title "Unsichtbare Fluessigkeitschichten": "In 1837, Gustav Rose obtained
organic forms by precipitation from inorganic solutions. By precipitating
chloride of calcium with the carbonates of ammonium and other alkaline
carbonates, he obtained small spheres which grew and were transformed into
calcic rhombohedra. He also obtained a flocculent precipitate which later
became granular and showed under the microscope forms like the starfish,
and discs with undulated borders. At Freiberg, in certain stalactites, Rose
also discovered forms consisting of six pyramidal cells around a spherical
nucleus.
"In 1839, Link obtained spherical granulations by the precipitation of
calcic or plumbic solutions by potash, soda, or carbonic acid. These
spherical granulations united after a time to form crystals. Sulphate of
iron, ammoniated sulphate of zinc, sulphate of copper precipitated by
sulphuretted hydrogen, and saline solutions precipitated by ferrocyanide of
potash, all give granular precipitates or discs, of which the granular
origin is quite perceptible.
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