Abstract
THE physical capacity of fungus-spores to throw out mycelium, and from that to be able to reproduce a parent (or, according to Dr. Bastian, to produce a fungus de novo) shows a complicated organisation greatly above that of the monad. From a careful examination of Dr. Bastian's experiments and figures, I am led to believe that the majority of the ovoid bodies referred by him to fungus-spores are nothing of the kind, and that if they really belong to the Vegetable kingdom at all, they are perfect unicellular plants in themselves reproducing their kind by subdivision; the presumed mycelium I should refer to the bursting of the cell-walls, and consequent discharge of the contents, a by no means uncommon occurrence with unicellular organisms. It is, however, impossible to follow the author in his speculations regarding these I odies, as his measurements are so imperfect, and in several instances, Where most wanted, omitted altogether. A few of the bodies certainly bear an external appearance to fungus-spores (for instance C, Fig. 11 which might be referred to Russula or Scleroderma), but as no size is given it is impossible to form an opinion. Perhaps Dr. Bastian will say on what data he refers such objects as are shown on Fig. 3, to fungus-spores, and by what characters he knows the mycehal filaments to be such: the “half-grown” spore (?) described on page 197 has most extraordinary characters for such an object; for, says the author, “the nuclear particle within was seen moving from end to end of the cell.”
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SMITH, W. Spontaneous Generation. Nature 2, 276 (1870). https://doi.org/10.1038/002276a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/002276a0
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