Note 96 — BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES

Albert von Koelliker became Professor of Anatomy at Würzburg. His earlier studies and discoveries contributed considerably to the systematic development of the cell theory. In 1844 he observed the division and further multiplication of the original egg cell. Next year he showed the continuity between nerve cells and nerve fibres in the Vertebrata; later, that the non-striped or smooth muscular tissue is composed of cellular elements. He demonstrated that the Gregarinæ are unicellular creatures. In 1852 he went with his younger friend Gegenbaur to Messina, where he studied especially the development of the Cephalopoda (cuttlefishes and allies); and he produced a magnificent work on Alcyonaria, Medusæ, and other allied forms. He elucidated the development of the vertebral column, especially with reference to the notochord.