Read Ebook: Die erste Stunde nach dem Tode: Eine Gespenstergeschichte by Brod Max

Font size: 10 px 15 px 20 px 25 px 30 px 35 px

Background color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Text color: BlackWhiteGrayLight GrayDark GrayDim Gray

Apply/Save settings

Ebook has 106 lines and 13085 words, and 3 pages

>>Nicht gerade im Momente des Todes. Da gibt es allerdings einen kleinen Augenblick von gemindertem Bewusstsein, in dem man nichts f?hlt als einen heftigen Riss, eine vorher ganz unbekannte starke, aber ganz kurze Empfindung, mit der sich die Seele vom K?rper l?st, ein Zucken, von dem ich nicht sagen k?nnte, ob es der Lust oder dem Schmerz verwandter ist. Aber wie gesagt, das dauert nur den Bruchteil einer Sekunde lang. Dann ist die Seele von Materie frei, ganz rein und losgebunden. Das aber ist gerade das Anstrengende. Wie soll ich es nur beschreiben? Unser ganzes Leben lang hatten wir damit zu tun, unsere Materie, die ja, seien wir aufrichtig, den Schwerpunkt unseres Daseins bildete, mit Geistigem und Gef?hltem, mit seelischem Leben vollzusaugen, das wir aus den wogenden Lebensstr?men rings um uns f?r unseren Gebrauch entnahmen. Pl?tzlich ist unsere Seele frei, bildet gleichsam einen materielosen Hohlraum, eine luftleere Blase mitten in der Materie. Die Materie aber, die gewohnt ist, sich am Seelischen zu n?hren, gleichsam vollzusaufen, st?rzt nat?rlich von allen Seiten mit rasender Begierde auf diesen Hohlraum zu und versucht sich einzudr?ngen. Alle Arten von Stofflichkeiten, auch solche der tiefsten Lebensformen, m?chten von der eben freigewordenen Seele Besitz ergreifen, m?chten sich an ihr n?hren und emporp?ppeln. Diese ersten Minuten sind schrecklich. Ich kann ja sagen, mir ist es dabei noch ganz gut gegangen, ich hielt mein kleines B?ndel Seelensubstanz t?chtig beisammen. Viele Seelen aber werden schon in diesen ersten Augenblicken ihres neuen Daseins in St?cke gerissen, einfach zerfetzt, und es graut mir geradezu, wenn ich mir ausmale, was eine solche in Atome zerbrochene Seele zu leiden hat, die ja doch noch bei all dem ihr einheitliches Ichbewusstsein beh?lt und nun zu gleicher Zeit in einem Regenwurm, einem Baumblatt und vielleicht in ein paar Bazillen darauf, die einander gegenseitig vertilgen, weitervegetieren muss. Ich nehme an, dass gerade das der Zustand ist, den man H?lle nennt.<<

>>Nicht ausgeschlossen<<, unterbrach der Baron mit dem L?cheln, das er f?r ertappte Gegner zu verwenden pflegte. >>Nur m?chte ich wissen, woher Sie nicht nur ?ber Ihr eigenes Schicksal, sondern auch noch zum ?berfluss ?ber das anderer Seelen so genau Auskunft zu geben wissen. Ohne Ihnen nahetreten zu wollen, -- sind Sie sich klar dar?ber, dass Sie sich hier auf ein Gebiet begeben haben, auf dem allen Phantasien und T?uschungen, insbesondere Selbstt?uschungen, T?re und Tor ge?ffnet ist? Haben Sie sich in dieser Hinsicht ernstlich genug gepr?ft? Sind Sie Ihrer so vollst?ndig sicher, dass eine kleine . . . ich will nicht L?ge sagen . . . eine kleine ?bertreibung oder Entstellung der Wahrheit ganz ausgeschlossen erscheint?<<

Der Greis war gar nicht beleidigt, im Gegenteil, er schien f?r jede Ermahnung dankbar und verfiel sofort, nachdem er das Vorige in gewissermassen ruhigem Ton ge?ussert hatte, in seine anf?ngliche reuige Zerknirschung: >>O, Sie haben recht. O, wie recht Sie haben. Offenbar sind Sie mir als Richter bestimmt, vor dem ich mich zu verantworten, nein, nicht verantworten, vor dem ich meine Verfehlungen zu beichten habe. -- Ja, es ist wahr, ich habe mich durchaus nicht gen?gend gepr?ft und habe mich, obwohl es mein ernstlicher Wille war, auch vor eitlen Selbstt?uschungen nicht hinreichend geh?tet. Meine Einsieht, wenn ich die erb?rmlichen Resultate meines Lebens so nennen darf, reichte gerade noch aus, um mich die erste Pr?fung nach dem Tode, die Attacke der Materie, bestehen zu lassen. Ich verstand in diesem Moment mit wirklich merkw?rdiger Hellsichtigkeit nicht nur alles, was mit mir, sondern auch was mit anderen eben Gestorbenen rings um mich vorging. Schreckliches habe ich da in wenigen Minuten gesehen, noch Schrecklicheres ist mir wie in Ahnungen klar geworden. Ganz rein konnte ich mich ?brigens trotz meiner verzweifelten Gegenwehr doch nicht erhalten. Ich sehe, dass da schon wieder allerlei Fremdes an mir herumh?ngt, was mit unsterblicher Substanz nichts gemein haben d?rfte.<< Bei diesen Worten betastete er traurig seine Rockkn?pfe und zog das Jackett, das er trug, mit einer Bewegung ?ber dem Magen zusammen, der man anmerkte, dass ihm dieses Kleidungsst?ck etwas ganz Unerkl?rliches war, dass er es vielleicht f?r einen K?rperteil hielt.

>>Tr?sten Sie sich, alle Kleidungen haben etwas Groteskes<< beruhigte ihn der Minister mit Herablassung.

>>Kleidung nennen Sie das . . . Ach so, nun verstehe ich. Unsere Kleidung sah allerdings ganz anders aus. In der sylphischen Sph?re, aus der ich stamme, besteht die Kleidung in einer gewissen, sehr hohen Geschwindigkeit, mit der sich die Individuen best?ndig kreiself?rmig um sich selbst drehen.<<

>>Eine Sylphe sind Sie also, eine Sylphide.<< Eine ganz schwache Enterior end of the body three peculiar papillae, developed as simple thickenings of the epidermis. At a later stage, after the hatching of the larva, these papillae develop glands at their extremities, secreting a kind of glutinous fluid. After these papillae have become formed cells first make their appearance in the test; and there is simultaneously formed a fresh inner cuticular layer of the test, to which at first the cells are confined, though subsequently they are found in the outer layer also. On the appearance of cells in the test the latter must be regarded as a form, though a very abnormal one, of connective tissue. When the tail of the larva has reached a very considerable length the egg-membrane bursts, and the larva becomes free. The hatching takes place in Asc. canina about 48-60 hours after impregnation. The free larva has a swollen trunk, and a very long tail, which soon becomes straightened out. It has a striking resemblance to a tadpole .

It is probable that these papillae are very primitive organs of the Chordata. Structures, which are probably of the same nature, are formed behind the mouth in the larvae of Amphibia, and in front of the mouth in the larvae of Ganoids , and are used by these larvae for attaching themselves.

The nervous system. The nervous system was left as a closed tube consisting of a dilated anterior division, and a narrow posterior one. The former may be spoken of as the brain, and the latter as the spinal cord; although the homologies of these two parts are quite uncertain. The anterior part of the spinal cord lying within the trunk dilates somewhat and there may thus be distinguished a trunk and a caudal section of the spinal cord.

The trunk section of the spinal cord is separated by a sharp constriction from the brain. It is formed of a superficial layer of longitudinal nervous fibres, and a central core of ganglion cells. The layer of fibres diminishes in thickness towards the tail, and finally ceases to be visible. Kupffer detected three pairs of nerves passing off from the spinal cord to the muscles of the tail. The foremost of these arises at the boundary between the trunk and the tail, and the two others at regular intervals behind this point.

The mesoblast and muscular system. It has already been stated that the lateral walls of the archenteron in the tail give rise to muscular cells. These cells lie about three abreast, and appear not to increase in number; so that with the growth of the tail they grow enormously in length, and eventually become imperfectly striated. The mesoblast cells at the hinder end of the trunk, close to its junction with the tail, do not become converted into muscle cells, but give rise to blood corpuscles; and the axial remnant of the archenteron undergoes a similar fate. According to Kowalevsky the heart is formed during larval life as an elongated closed sack on the right side of the endostyle.

The notochord. The notochord was left as a rod formed of a single row of cells, or in As. canina and some other forms of two rows, extending from just within the border of the trunk to the end of the tail.

According to Kowalevsky, Kupffer, Giard, etc. the notochord undergoes a further development which finds its only complete parallel amongst Chordata in the doubtful case of Amphioxus.

There appear between the cells peculiar, highly refractive discs . These become larger and larger, and finally, after pushing the remnants of the cells with their nuclei to the sides, coalesce together to form a continuous axis of hyaline substance. The remnants of the cells with their nuclei form a sheath round the hyaline axis . Whether the axis is to be regarded as formed of an intercellular substance, or of a differentiation of parts of the cells is still doubtful. Kupffer inclines to the latter view: the analogy of the notochord of higher types appears to me to tell in favour of the former one.

The alimentary tract. The anterior part of the primitive archenteron alone retains a lumen, and from this part the whole of the permanent alimentary tract becomes developed. The anterior part of it grows upwards, and before hatching an involution of the epiblast on the dorsal side, just in front of the anterior extremity of the nervous system, meets and opens into this upgrowth, and gives rise to the permanent mouth .

Kowalevsky states that a pore is formed at the front end of the nervous tube leading into the mouth which eventually gives rise to the ciliated sack, which lies in the adult at the junction between the mouth and the branchial sack. Kupffer however was unable to find this opening; but Kowalevsky's observations are confirmed by those of Salensky on Salpa.

From the hinder end of the alimentary sack an outgrowth directed dorsalwards makes its appearance , from which the oesophagus, stomach and intestine become developed. It at first ends blindly. The remainder of the primitive alimentary sack gives rise to the branchial sack of the adult. Just after the larva has become hatched, the outgrowth to form the stomach and oesophagus, etc. bends ventralwards and to the right, and then turns again in a dorsal and left direction till it comes close to the dorsal surface, somewhat to the left of and close to the hinder end of the trunk. The first ventral loop of this part gives rise to the oesophagus, which opens into the stomach; from this again the dorsally directed intestine passes off.

On the ventral wall of the branchial sack there is formed a narrow fold with thickened walls, which forms the endostyle. It ends anteriorly at the stomodaeum and posteriorly at the point where the solid remnant of the archenteron in the tail was primitively continuous with the branchial sack. The whole of the alimentary wall is formed of a single layer of hypoblast cells.

A most important organ connected with the alimentary system still remains to be dealt with, viz. the atrial or peribranchial cavity. The first rudiments of it appear at about the time of hatching, in the form of a pair of dorsal epiblastic involutions , at the level of the junction between the brain and the spinal cord. These involutions grow inwards, and meet corresponding outgrowths of the branchial sack, with which they fuse. At the junction between them is formed an elongated ciliated slit, leading from the branchial sack into the atrial cavity of each side. The slits so formed are the first pair of branchial clefts. Behind the first pair of branchial clefts a second pair is formed during larval life by a second outgrowth of the branchial sack meeting the epiblastic atrial involutions . The intestine at first ends blindly close to the left atrial involution, but the anus becomes eventually formed by an opening being established between the left atrial involution and the intestine.

During the above described processes the test remains quite intact, and is not perforated at the oral or the atrial openings.

The development of the adult from the larva is, as has already been stated, in the main a retrogressive metamorphosis. The stages in this metamorphosis are diagrammatically shewn in figs. 10 and 11. It commences with the attachment of the larva which takes place by one of the three papillae. Simultaneously with the attachment the larval tail undergoes a complete atrophy , so that nothing is left of it but a mass of fatty cells situated close to the point of the previous insertion of the tail in the trunk.

FIG. 10. DIAGRAM SHEWING THE MODE OF ATTACHMENT AND SUBSEQUENT RETROGRESSIVE METAMORPHOSIS OF A LARVAL ASCIDIAN.

The nervous system also undergoes a very rapid retrogressive metamorphosis; and the only part of it which persists would seem to be the dilated portion of the spinal cord in the trunk .

The three papillae, including that serving for attachment, early disappear, and the larva becomes fixed by a growth of the test to foreign objects.

An opening appears in the test some time after the larva is fixed, leading into the mouth, which then becomes functional. The branchial sack at the same time undergoes important changes. In the larva it is provided with only two ciliated slits, which open into the, at this stage, paired atrial cavity .

The openings of the atrial cavity at first are shut off from communication with the exterior by the test, but not long after the larva becomes fixed, two perforations are formed in the test, which lead into the openings of the two atrial cavities. At the same time the atrial cavities dilate so as gradually to embrace the whole branchial sack to which their inner walls attach themselves. Shortly after this the branchial clefts rapidly increase in number.

The account of the multiplication of the branchial clefts is taken from Krohn's paper on Phallusia mammillata , but there is every reason to think that it holds true in the main for simple Ascidians.

The increase of the branchial clefts is somewhat complicated. Between the two primitive clefts two new ones appear, and then a third appears behind the last cleft. In the interval between each branchial cleft is placed a vascular branchial vessel . Soon a great number of clefts become added in a row on each side of the branchial sack. These clefts are small ciliated openings placed transversely with reference to the long axis of the branchial sack, but only occupying a small part of the breadth of each side. The intervals dorsal and ventral to them are soon filled by series of fresh rows of slits, separated from each other by longitudinal bars. Each side of the branchial sack becomes in this way perforated by a number of small openings arranged in rows, and separated by transverse and longitudinal bars. The whole structure forms the commencement of the branchial basketwork of the adult; the arrangement of which differs considerably in structure and origin from the simple system of branchial clefts of normal vertebrate types. At the junction of the transverse and longitudinal bars papillae are formed projecting into the lumen of the branchial sack.

After the above changes are far advanced towards completion, the openings of the two atrial sacks gradually approximate in the dorsal line, and finally coalesce to form the single atrial opening of the adult. The two atrial cavities at the same time coalesce dorsally to form a single cavity, which is continuous round the branchial sack, except along the ventral line where the endostyle is present. The atrial cavity, from its mode of origin as a pair of epiblastic involutions, is clearly a structure of the same nature as the branchial or atrial cavity of Amphioxus; and has nothing whatever to do with the true body cavity.

In the asexually produced buds of Ascidians the atrial cavity appears, with the exception of the external opening, to be formed from the primitive branchial sack. In the buds of Pyrosoma however it arises independently. These peculiarities in the buds cannot weigh against the embryonic evidence that the atrial cavity arises from involutions of the epiblast, and they may perhaps be partially explained by the fact that in the formation of the visceral clefts outgrowths of the branchial sack meet the atrial involutions.

It has already been stated that the anus opens into the original left atrial cavity; when the two cavities coalesce the anus opens into the atrial cavity in the median dorsal line.

Two of the most obscure points in the development are the origin of the mesoblast in the trunk, and of the body cavity. Of the former subject we know next to nothing, though it seems that the cells resulting from the atrophy of the tail are employed in the nutrition of the mesoblastic structures of the trunk.

The body cavity in the adult is well developed in the region of the intestine, where it forms a wide cavity lined by an epithelioid mesoblastic layer. In the region of the branchial sack it is reduced to the vascular channels in the walls of the sack.

Kowalevsky believes the body cavity to be the original segmentation cavity, but this view can hardly be regarded as admissible in the present state of our knowledge. In some other Ascidian types a few more facts about the mesoblast will be alluded to.

The genus Molgula presents a remarkable exception amongst the simple Ascidians in that, in some if not all the species belonging to it, development takes place quite directly and without larval metamorphosis.

The ova are laid either singly or adhering together, and are very opaque. The segmentation commences by the formation of four equal spheres, after which a number of small clear spheres are formed which envelope the large spheres. The latter give rise to a closed enteric sack, and probably also to a mass of cells situated on the ventral side, which appear to be mesoblastic. The epiblast is constituted of a single layer of cells which completely envelopes the enteric sack and the mesoblast.

While the ovum is still within the chorion five peculiar processes of epiblast grow out; four of which usually lie in the same sectional plane of the embryo. They are contractile and contain prolongations of the body cavity. Their relative size is very variable.

The nervous system is formed on the dorsal side of the embryo before the above projections make their appearance, but, though it seems probable that it originates in the same manner as in the more normal forms, its development has not been worked out. As soon as it is formed it consists of a nervous ganglion similar to that usually found in the adult. The history of the mass of mesoblast cells has been inadequately followed, but it continuously disappears as the heart, excretory organs, muscles, etc. become formed. So far as can be determined from Kupffer's descriptions the body cavity is primitively parenchymatous--an indication of an abbreviated development--and does not arise as a definite split in the mesoblast.

The primitive enteric cavity becomes converted into the branchial sack, and from its dorsal and posterior corner the oesophagus, stomach and intestine grow out as in the normal forms. The mouth is formed by the invagination of a disc-like thickening of the epidermis in front of the nervous system on the dorsal side of the body; and the atrial cavity arises behind the nervous system by a similar process at a slightly later period. The gill clefts opening into the atrial cavity are formed as in the type of simple Ascidians described by Krohn.

The embryo becomes hatched not long after the formation of the oral and atrial openings, and the five epiblastic processes undergo atrophy. They are not employed in the attachment of the adult.

The larva when hatched agrees in most important points with the adult; and is without the characteristic provisional larval organs of ordinary forms; neither organs of special sense nor a tail becoming developed. It has been suggested by Kupffer that the ventrally situated mesoblastic mass is the same structure as the mass of elements which results in ordinary types from the degeneration of the tail. If this suggestion is true it is difficult to believe that this mass has any other than a nutritive function.

The larva of Ascidia ampulloides described by P. van Beneden is regarded by Kupffer as intermediate between the Molgula larva and the normal type, in that the larval tail and notochord and a pigment spot are first developed, while after the atrophy of these organs peculiar processes like those of Molgula make their appearance.

Sedentaria. The development of the fixed composite Ascidians is, so far as we know, in the main similar to that of the simple Ascidians. The larvae of Botryllus sometimes attain, while still in the free state, a higher stage of development with reference to the number of gill slits, etc. than that reached by the simple Ascidians, and in some instances eight conical processes are found springing in a ring-like fashion around the trunk. The presence of these processes has led to somewhat remarkable views about the morphology of the group; in that they were regarded by K?lliker, Sars, etc. as separate individuals, and it was supposed that the product of each ovum was not a single individual, but a whole system of individuals with a common cloaca.

The researches of Metschnikoff , Krohn , and Giard , etc. demonstrate that this paradoxical view is untenable, and that each ovum only gives rise to a single embryo, while the stellate systems are subsequently formed by budding.

Natantia. Our knowledge of the development of Pyrosoma is mainly due to Huxley and Kowalevsky . In each individual of a colony of Pyrosoma only a single egg comes to maturity at one time. This egg is contained in a capsule formed of a structureless wall lined by a flattened epithelioid layer. From this capsule a duct passes to the atrial cavity, which, though called the oviduct, functions as an afferent duct for the spermatozoa.

The segmentation is meroblastic, and the germinal disc adjoins the opening of the oviduct. The segmentation is very similar to that which occurs in Teleostei, and at its close the germinal disc has the form of a cap of cells, without a trace of stratification or of a segmentation cavity, resting upon the surface of the yolk, which forms the main mass of the ovum.

After segmentation the blastoderm, as we may call the layer of cells derived from the germinal disc, rapidly spreads over the surface of the yolk, and becomes divided into two layers, the epiblast and the hypoblast. At the same time it exhibits a distinction into a central clearer and a peripheral more opaque region. At one end of the blastoderm, which for convenience sake may be spoken of as the posterior end, a disc of epiblast appears, which is the first rudiment of the nervous system, and on each side of the middle of the blastoderm there arises an epiblastic involution. The epiblastic involutions give rise to the atrial cavity.

These involutions rapidly grow in length, and soon form longish tubes, opening at the surface by pores situated not far from the posterior end of the blastoderm.

In a later stage the openings of the two atrial tubes gradually travel backwards, and at the same time approximate, till finally they meet and coalesce at the posterior end of the blastoderm behind the nervous disc . The tubes themselves at the same time become slightly constricted not far from their hinder extremities, and so divided into a posterior region nearly coterminous with the nervous system , and an anterior region. These two regions have very different histories in the subsequent development.

The nervous disc has during these changes become marked by a median furrow , which is soon converted into a canal by the same process as in the simple Ascidians. The closure of the groove commences posteriorly and travels forwards. These processes are clearly of the same nature as those which take place in Chordata generally in the formation of the central nervous system.

In the region of the germinal disc which contains the anterior part of the atrial tubes, the alimentary cavity becomes, by the growth of the layer of cells described in the last stage, a complete canal, on the outer wall of which the endostyle is formed as a median fold. The whole anterior part of the blastoderm becomes at the same time gradually constricted off from the yolk.

The fate of the anterior and posterior parts of the blastoderm is very different. The anterior part becomes segmented into four zooids or individuals, called by Huxley Ascidiozooids, which give rise to a fresh colony of Pyrosoma. The posterior part forms a rudimentary zooid, called by Huxley Cyathozooid, which eventually atrophies. These five zooids are formed by a process of embryonic fission. This fission commences by the appearance of four transverse constrictions in the anterior part of the blastoderm; by which the whole blastoderm becomes imperfectly divided into five regions, fig. 14 A.

Share on: WhatsApp @Hash Facebook Tweet