﻿82 
  THE 
  CRITERIA 
  OF 
  LIVINGNESS 
  

  

  A 
  vivid 
  statement 
  of 
  this 
  characteristic 
  feature 
  of 
  life 
  

   was 
  given 
  by 
  Huxley 
  in 
  his 
  Crayfish 
  (1880, 
  p. 
  84) 
  : 
  " 
  The 
  

   parallel 
  between 
  a 
  whirlpool 
  in 
  a 
  stream 
  and 
  a 
  living 
  being, 
  

   which 
  has 
  often 
  been 
  drawn, 
  is 
  as 
  just 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  striking. 
  The 
  

   whirlpool 
  is 
  permanent, 
  but 
  the 
  particles 
  of 
  water 
  which 
  

   constitute 
  it 
  are 
  incessantly 
  changing. 
  Those 
  which 
  enter 
  

   it, 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  side, 
  are 
  whirled 
  around 
  and 
  temporarily 
  con- 
  

   stitute 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  its 
  individuality 
  ; 
  and 
  as 
  they 
  leave 
  it 
  on 
  

   the 
  other 
  side, 
  their 
  places 
  are 
  made 
  good 
  by 
  new 
  comers. 
  

  

  " 
  Those 
  who 
  have 
  seen 
  the 
  wonderful 
  whirlpool, 
  three 
  

   miles 
  below 
  the 
  Falls 
  of 
  Niagara, 
  will 
  not 
  have 
  forgotten 
  

   the 
  heaped-up 
  wave 
  which 
  tumbles 
  and 
  tosses, 
  a 
  very 
  em- 
  

   bodiment 
  of 
  restless 
  energy, 
  where 
  the 
  swift 
  stream 
  hurrying 
  

   from 
  the 
  Falls 
  is 
  compelled 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  sudden 
  turn 
  towards 
  

   Lake 
  Ontario. 
  However 
  changeful 
  in 
  the 
  contour 
  of 
  its 
  

   crest, 
  this 
  wave 
  has 
  been 
  visible, 
  approximately 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  

   place, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  general 
  form, 
  for 
  centuries 
  past. 
  

   Seen 
  from 
  a 
  mile 
  off, 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  stationary 
  

   hillock 
  of 
  water. 
  Viewed 
  closely, 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  typical 
  expression 
  

   of 
  the 
  conflicting 
  impulses 
  generated 
  by 
  a 
  swift 
  rush 
  of 
  

   material 
  particles. 
  

  

  " 
  Now, 
  with 
  all 
  our 
  appliances, 
  we 
  cannot 
  get 
  within 
  a 
  

   good 
  many 
  miles, 
  so 
  to 
  speak, 
  of 
  the 
  crayfish. 
  If 
  we 
  could, 
  

   we 
  should 
  see 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  nothing 
  but 
  the 
  constant 
  form 
  

   of 
  a 
  similar 
  turmoil 
  of 
  material 
  molecules 
  which 
  are 
  con- 
  

   stantly 
  flowing 
  into 
  the 
  animal 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  side, 
  and 
  stream- 
  

   ing 
  out 
  on 
  the 
  other." 
  

  

  Without 
  accepting 
  the 
  view 
  that 
  the 
  organism 
  is 
  exhaust- 
  

   ively 
  described 
  by 
  calling 
  it 
  " 
  nothing 
  but 
  the 
  constant 
  form 
  

   of 
  a 
  turmoil 
  of 
  material 
  molecules 
  ", 
  without 
  forgetting 
  that 
  

   the 
  organism- 
  whirlpool 
  acts 
  on 
  the 
  stream, 
  and 
  gives 
  rise 
  

   to 
  other 
  whirlpools, 
  we 
  welcome 
  the 
  metaphor 
  as 
  vividly 
  true 
  

  

  