Histochemistry of the Mitochondrial System

It has been customary to introduce any discussion on the mitochondrion by summing up its functions as the energy center of the cell. Because of the extensive reviews and symposia in this field in recent years such an introduction would be repetitious and will therefore be omitted. — The relative ease by which mitochondria can be isolated from various cells and the considerable purity of such fractions permitted an analysis of the overall functions of mitochondria and the extrapolation of these results, on a statistical basis, to a single mitochondrion. Further fragmentation of isolated mitochondria into sub-units that carry segments of the functional activity of the whole organelle signific…