Cellular pathology : as based upon physiological and pathological histology; twenty lectures delivered in the Pathological Institute of Berlin during the months of February, March, and April, 1858 / by Rudolf Virchow; translated from the second edition of the original by Frank Chance; with notes and numerous emendations, principally from ms. notes of the author.

  • Virchow, Rudolf, 1821-1902.
Date:
MDCCCLX. [1860]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Cellular pathology : as based upon physiological and pathological histology; twenty lectures delivered in the Pathological Institute of Berlin during the months of February, March, and April, 1858 / by Rudolf Virchow; translated from the second edition of the original by Frank Chance; with notes and numerous emendations, principally from ms. notes of the author. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    external secreted layers, altliougli in such a manner that the old boundaries can still always be distinguished, we find in animal tissues that this species of arrangement is the more rare one. In the often very abundant mass of matter which lies between the cells {intermediate, intercellular suh- atance), we are seldom able to perceive at a glance, how far a given part of it belongs to one or another cell; it presents the aspect of a homogeneous intermediate substance. According to Schwann, the intercellular substance was the cytoblastema, destined for the development of new cells. This I do not consider to be correct, but, on the contrary, I have, by means of a series of pathological observations, arrived at the conclusion that the intercellular substance is dependent in a certain definite manner upon the cells, and that it is necessary to draw boundaries in it also, so that certain districts belong to one cell, and certain others to another. You will see how sharply these boundaries are i defined by pathological processes (Fig. 129), and how direct I evidence is afforded, that any given district of intercellular i substance is ruled over by the cell, which lies in the middle j of it and exercises influence upon the neighbouring parts. It must now be evident to you, I think, what I under- I stand by the territories of cells. But there are simple tissues which are composed entirely of cells, cell lying close to cell. In these there can be no difficulty with regard to the boundaries of the individual cells, yet it is necessary that I should call your attention to the fact that, in this case, too, every individual cell may run its own peculiar course, may undergo its own peculiar changes, without the fate of the cell lying next it being necessarily linked with its own. In other tissues, on the contrary, in which we find intermediate substance, every cell, in addition to its own contents, has the superintendence of a certain quantitv of matter external to it, and tliis shares in its changes, nay, is frecpicntly affected even earlier than the interior of the