Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-03-02

t was illustrated by blackboard draw
ines to which reference was frequently
made. some Of the explanations have
been omtiedl
uisnot without deep significance that
large and apprccIltive audiences greet
the various lecturers who have the hon
or OF occupying this platform week
after week. Were 40 other Evidence
wanting, this alone would show that
there s q demand, on The part OF the
pubIic. for the latest thought ON the
great questions OF ihc day. While I
have neither expectation nor hope ri
adding ANYTHING ucW Co biological sci.
ence this evening, earnestly desire 20
present the latest and, / trust, lhe best
thought Of those whose lives are dc
voted to the investigation oil the great
mystery Of lite.
The fundamental unit OF az lifo,
whether animal or vegetable, b. tie cell
The typical cell IS microscopic in size
aud consists Of q membrane enclosing %
clear or scm.clcar .luid known as pro.
topllsm. Within the protop.asm and
enclosed by It small quantities OF water
are usually found. Suspended in The
pfotoplasm minute ganulcs OF matter
may he detected when the cell Us highly
magnhcd. As q usual thing. careful
examination shows that the gunulgl are
crowded closer together in one part Of
the cell than in any other part The
mass OF granules thus formed is known
as the nucleus. Within The nucleus q
point OF special condensation IS seen,
This point Is the nuclcolus. 10 IS proba
BE that the lie OF the cell ccnters around
the nucleolus The outer, or enclosing
membrane ol the cell, i8 simply dead
matter aud may OF may moi De present
So lar as known NJ the present time, HE
is manifested only IN connection with
protoplasm. and because OF this % has
been called by Professor Huxley the
physical basis OF lio." Il Is almost
certain that pfotoplasm Is formed only
by growing cells, but q IS not certain
that all protoplasm Is the same Va chem
zeal composition and constitution in all
the varied conditions under which %
appears In the different groups Of plants
and animals. There b some reason to
believe that It may vary In the different
organs Of the same individual
In our present state Of knowledge we
can regard the term protoplasm as little
more than a convenient name Tor an I'm
stable living substance OF very complex
composition, which VARIES widely In
structure, specific properties, and prob.
ably IN chemical composition. Until
recently protoplasm was classcd with
the proteids OF which cheese Is an cX-
ample, but u Is now generally admitted
that its composition and structure IS
much more complex than any form OF
proteid now known 20 exist While 10
has been impossible to determine either
the exact structure or composition Of
proloplasm, there Is abundant evidence
that proicids, fats and carbohydrates
sugar, starch, gum), enter into is COM
plex molecules. When protopasm Is
decomposed, all OF these constituents
are found, and frequently several kinds
of protcids have been detected. Al
though protoplasm appears to be sttuc-
tureless. with the exception OF the
gtanulcs, Il Is capable OF absorption
digestion, assimilation aud feproduc'
ton. The reproduction OF cells Is &C
complished In three different ways
These methods Of reproduction are
known as coniugaiion, budding and
division.
The process OF coniugaiion first con.
sists OF two cells uniting to form one.
Within tho cell thus formed, the nucle.
olus divides into several parts, which
develop into what are called daughter
cells When these are properly deyel.
oped they escape through the rupturcd
wall OF the mother cell. Budding CON
sst Of the outgrowth OF some part o
the cell wall. This oulgrowth is supplied
with proiopllsm, by an outgrowth o
that IN the original cell, and is nucleus
Is portion OF the nucleus Ia the paren
cell. The bud remains attached 10 III,
original cell until Il Is capable Of main
tanning an independent life, when Il ma,
or may not become detached. Mulupli
cations by cell division Is only a modihet
form OF budding, iur In this method thD
cell wall, the protoplasm and ihu
nucleus, each divide into two equal, %
nearly equal parts, and passing through
the various stages OF division, assuml
the dumb.bcll shape, aud ultimately al
connection ceases and two cells appea
where one had previously been.
All that has been said OF the cell M
to this point applies with equal force Il
both the plant and animal cell, but nov
shall speak with reference only to tn
plant cell. although many OF my state
mcnts will be equally true OF the animl
cell. Plants naturally fall into two gran,
divisions; those composed OF "a single
cell, and those composed of scyrrl
cells. The plants OF one cell may h
dismissed with the remark that what hl
been said OF the cell may be said OF them
The many cel'ed plants are made up ID
cells which bear about the same relation
ship to each other that bees bear 20 thl
swarm to which they belong. The cell
OF the many celled plants, or mullCelIu
lar plants, as they are called, may b.
divided into those which contain ChlorU
phyll, or Leaf green, In some OF th
cells and those which do not, Our com
mon green plants may be taken rs "a
amplcs OF the first class, while mould
and toads,ools may be regarded as typl
cal examples OF the second class.
Chlorophyll appears as small grains
In the pTolupllsm Of the cell lndpC
the only difference which can be DIS
tinguIshcd between the gTauules ord
manly found in protopl3sm and chloro
phyll grains Is that the latter have
deep green color. But from the know
action Of chlorophyll, IL Is evident thl
some profound difference exists, An q
those plants which have chorophyil 100
capable OF forming plant tissue iror
water, ammonia and clrhon,c oxide
when their leaves where the clluu
phyll Is mostly found arc exposed {
the light Of the sun, Those plants whic
are destitute OF ChloTophyll are unlbl
TO combine those before named simpl
compounds into plant tissue, and henc
hHV.. o., IIFHtN tRR1 rRutnRuflg nIF.t ID