ABSTRACT
Cytologists whose investigations have been concerned with the nucleolus have either regarded it as related to the formation of the chromosomes, or as connected actively or passively with cellular metabolism. Montgomery (1898), Ludford (1922), Wilson (1924), Fikry (1930), and Sharp (1926 and 1934) have all presented comprehensive reviews of these investigations which show little agreement in the interpretation of nucleolar function. Those investigators who relate it to chromosome formation differ among themselves in regarding the connexion either as a direct one, the nucleolus representing an active agent in the elaboration of chromatin, or as an indirect one, the nucleolus contributing non-chromatinic material to the chromosomes. Those who support the metabolic view also disagree in believing, on the one hand, that the nucleolus is an active agent in the vital processes of the cell, and on the other hand, that it is ergastic in nature, composed either of waste products of the cell’s metabolism, or of material to be used in the manufacture of specific cell products.
