Plasma

(plaz'-mah). I. The original undifferentiated substance of nascent living matter. The primordial protoplasm or " physical basis of life. ' ' 2. The fluid part of the blood and the; the blood and exclusive of the corpuscles. See Blood-plasma and Liquor sanguinis. P. -cells of Waldeyer, the highly vacuolated connective-ti ue cells, irregular, extended or spindle-shaped. They probably bear a somewhat constant relation to young ti ues in which the formation of new blood ve els is still progre ing. P. -fibrin, Landois' term for fibrin formed in the usual way, as distinguished from stroma-fibrin, or that formed directly from stroma. P.-globulin. Same as Para globulin, q. v. P., Histogenetic, P., the fluid part of the P. of Invertebrates, that per i vascular or intercellular fluid of invertebrates which corresponds to the blood of vertebrates. It is both respiratory and nutritive in function, clots like vertebrate blood, contains fibrinogen and a substance corresponding to hemoglobin, and is called by Fredericq hemocyanin; it is also in some instances a reddish lipochrome pigment tetronerythrin. P., Muscle, the fluid obtained from muscle by pre ure at a low temperature, 1° C. It is spontaneously coagulable, forming fiiyosin. P., Nutritive, the portion of the cell devoted to nutritive functions. P. san- Plasmodium (plaz-mo'-de-um). In biology: (a) the naked, motile ma of protoplasm formed by the organic fusion of two or more a me biform bodies, as in the mesodermic cells of young Spongillce, Bipinnaria, many Annelid a and by phagocytes in general; (b) the colo al ameboid organism or vegetative body (also called plasmode) formed by the coalescence of peculiar swarm-spores in the Myxomycetes (e. g., Fuligo variant, or, as it is more commonly called, Aithalium septicum or "flowers of tan "), or by the mere aggregation of such swarm-spores in the Acrasiece. P. malariae. Synonyms, Hamatophyllum run. guinis, blood-plasma. P., Somatic. Synonym of P., Histogenetic.