Botanical And Physiological Memoirs, Consisting Of The Phenomenon Of Rejuvenescence In Nature, Especially In The Life And Development Of Plants

BOTANICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MEMOIRS, CONSISTING OF I. THE PHENOMENON OF REJUVENESCENCE IN NATURE, ESPECIALLY IN THE LIFE AND DEVELOPMENT OF PLANTS. BY DR. A. BRAUN. TRANSLATED BY A. HENFREY, F.R.S., . TO THE READER. THE present Treatise On thePhenomenon of Rejuvenes- cence in Nature, especially in the Life and Development of Plants, was issued to a small circle in May of last year, from the High School of Freiburg, in the Breisgau, to which the Author at that time belonged, and forwhich it was especially composed, as a Prorectorate Address its publication to wider circles of the Scientific world has been delayed by many circumstances, partly connected with the change of residence of the Author, through his call to the High School of Giessen partly in consequence of the events which afflicted the country with dissensions, and obstructed the calm progress of scientific undertak- ings. Nevertheless, the Author hopes that the substance of the Essay, which contains an attempt to combine the special branches of Botanical research more intimately together and with the entire body of Science, by means of certain connecting ideas, and to grasp and trace out the old questions under a new point of view, has not meanwhile grown out of date, so that he may venture to comply with friendly requisitions from many quarters, and deliver over his little work to more general diffusion. May the reader receive it kindly, as a little nail in the great structure which Natural Science has to erect, to which each labourer seeks to add his contribution in his own way, and to work for which, with voice and pen, is the endeavour, the life, and the happiness of the Naturalist GIESSEN February, 1851. THE AUTHOR.Since the original of this work was published, the Author has been chosen to succeed the late Professor Link in the University of Berlin and now occupies a position commensurate with his numerous and elaborate contributions to Science. Modestly as he speaks of this remarkable work, the Translator has no hesitation in designating it one of the most important of modern con- tributions to the Philosophy of Botany. Without enter- ing into the discussion of the curious speculations indicated in the title, attention is especially tobe called to the lucid exposition of the Morphology of Plants, and to the definite establishment and full illustration of the laws of this branch of botanical science to the section upon Cell-formation, again, which constitutes a body of fact and theory of the utmost importance to Physiology, Animal as well as Vegetable, since, bringing together and completing the various recent publications on the subject of cell -development, it clearly demonstrates the necessity of reforming the older views of the character of cellular structures, and, in showing the incontestible evidence now existing as to the essentially primary nature of the cell-contents or protoplasmic structures, at once levels the new field of investigation in Plants, and affords a basis for the clearing up of the analogies existing between the Animal and Vegetable tissues...