Bioblasts

Bioblasts (from Greek bios-life and blastos-germ), otherwise gramila (grains), a name given by Altmann to those granular formations from which, according to his doctrine, cells are composed (colonies of bioblasts) and which represent elementary vital units possessing the ability of nutrition, growth, and division. Bioblasts can be seen during life, for example, in pigment cells, but, mainly, in preparations fixed and stained by Altmann's method (see Altmann's methods). Bioblasts usually appear as round grains of various sizes, from barely visible to thread-like formations that break up into chains. Nuclei also consist of bioblasts of two kinds: chromatic ones and those that stain with cyanine. The existence of bioblasts during life was subjected to strong criticism by A. Fischer. In recent times, the bioblasts seen by Altmann are considered to be mitochondria (see) and his methods are applied specifically for their detection (see also Lutoblasts).